November 3 Wednesday – Again Sam attended a session of the Austrian Reichsrath. During a break in the proceedings, Sam met Dr. Otto Lecher in the restaurant. Lecher had given the marathon speech on Oct. 28- 29, and it’s clear from Sam’s account of that night in “Stirring Times in Austria,” that he admired the man [Dolmetsch 74]. Note: Sam’s notebook for Nov. 3 has several pages of notes from 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. [NB 42 TS 44-47]

In Vienna, Austria Sam wrote to Chatto & Windus. The canvassing copy of FE had arrived from Frank Bliss. Sam was “obliged to Mr. Ellis” (Alfred Ellis, photographer). He objected to the use of a photograph fronting Chapter 1 that included family members.

“Whenever you recognize my wife or daughter in any pictures, please squelch that picture. They don’t want to appear in the book, of course” [MTP]. Note: JoDee Benussi points out the offending photo is the same as on p. 77 of Overland With Mark Twain, Gribben & Karanovich, eds. Also, that one photograph of family members got past the publisher in FE, p. 66; compare this to an enlarged view of the photo in Overland, p. 73

Sam also wrote to Frank Bliss, directing: “knock out that hideous caricature which faces Chapter 1” [and to] “knock out ALL pictures which contain my wife or daughter.” Bliss had asked for another aphorism for the book and Sam offered the “Time & tide wait for no man” lines (see Oct. 14), plus “The altar-cloth of one era is the door-mat of the next” [MTP].

Sam also replied to Francis H. Skrine in London. (Skrine’s incoming not extant.)

This is good luck. I was beginning to be afraid you were not coming—no, that you had come & gone silently away like Longfellow’s Arab. …But it’s all right, now. You’d better come to this hotel. Excellent hotel & plenty of room in it. And you must dine in our apartment, just with the family alone, Nov. 9 at 7.30 [MTP].