July 31 Saturday – In Weggis, Switzerland Sam wrote to Chatto & Windus, questioning why postage was repaid on a foreign letter; that “Surely that must be an unnecessary expense. / …a fully-paid foreign postage ought to chase a man all over the globe without extra cost” [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Joe Twichell. Clemens enclosed clippings from German papers and a cutting from Pennsylvania bearing his likeness (probably a caricature) “with the suggestion that I sue upon it for libel.” Sam liked the picture and would “rather be picturesque than pretty, any time.” He mentioned Livy meeting an old Hartford friend, George Williamson Smith, President of Trinity College, on the Lucerne boat “a couple of days ago,” and told of his coming for lunch the day before:

…it was more refreshing & uplifting & enjoyable than any sixty hours we have known for months. A wonderful man in all ways, & unspeakably lovely; it was a lucky day when Hartford captured him. I am going to Lucerne this afternoon to see him & Mrs. Smith. )

Sam also raved about the restful, charming place they had and told of the family’s activities of the prior day (see entry) [MTP]. Sam’s notebook:

July 31, Sunday. A smooth lake & a most quiet & peaceful day. Domestic picture. Grandmother, mother, & two little daughters sitting by the lake in front of their pretty villa. Grandma teaching one of the little girls her Bible lesson, the mother teaching the other one to fish.

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The German underclothing with the unpronounceable name. Before washing, the undershirt is big enough for the cow; after washing, the rich man who has crowded through the needle’s eye on his way to heaven tries to wedge himself through that shirt & gets stuck [NB 42 TS 23].

Saturday Review included an anonymous review of TS,D p.125. “In this miscellaneous collection, ‘What Paul Bourget Thinks of Us’ and ‘A Little Note to Paul Bourget’ ‘constitute the smartest, the wittiest and keenest piece of literary fencing we have me for a considerable time. The tales are only mildly interesting and still more mildly humorous [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Second Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Autumn 1978 p. 169].