May 24 Monday – The ledger books of Chatto & Windus show that 750 additional copies of Tom Sawyer, Detective were printed (totaling 5,750 to date) [Welland 238]. ,

Sam’s notebook:

Queen’s Birth-day. That Times reporter, next door, favors me with another letter this morning protesting Clara’s piano-practice. It is an “intolerable nuisance” & he wants it stopped. His newspaper work keeps him up all night, & he would like our house kept quiet all day so that he can sleep off his journalistic debauch in peace. I wonder why he doesn’t reform, & earn his bread in some rational way.

Same date. Richard Edgcumbe called & we walked to Sloane & rode up in ‘bus to Charing X, I to meet him at Athenaeum Club at 4 or later. He read the letter. Thought I ought to off[er] to compromise & not let the piano play till 11. I was not willing to correspond with an uncourteous man—man who began a correspondence with strangers with a rude letter.

Went to Chatto & Windus. Spalding read the letter aloud. He thought no notice shd be taken of it. That was my own idea. Don’t think Chatto offered an opinion [NB 41 TS 27]. Note: The complaining neighbor was J. Woulfe Flanagan, Times reporter. See Jan. 18 for his first complaint.