April 3 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Testify before the Copyright Committee, House of Lords (on copyright). Lord Monkswell, Knutsford, Avebury, & 2 others” [NB 43 TS 6a]. Note: in his Apr. 5 NB entry Sam identifies Lord Avebury as “formerly Sir John Lubbock”.
London: Sam spoke before the Select Committee on Copyright in the House of Lords. On Apr. 4, p.6
The New York Times reported Mark Twain’s testimony:
April 2 Monday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam acknowledged receipt of £1,019. 18s. 3d. from Chatto & Windus for sales of the de luxe edition [MTP; Welland 203].
April 1 Sunday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Sir William Martin Conway.
“I am dreadfully sorry, but we have but this moment returned from E.A. Abbey’s.
If I had known it was a birthday orgie I would have forseen that it would run late, but I had forgotten that detail. I hope we can go to the Cosmopolitan another night.”
March 30 before – Frank Bliss wrote to Sam about discrepancies in origins of the “Jumping Frog” story:
[Written in top margin:] This is yr a/c of how you originally heard the Story, told by a man who was not telling it to his hearers as a thing new to them. He was a dull person and ignorant he… [in bottom margin:] Then follows the Greek Story (Sidgwick) of Jumping Frog.
March 29 Thursday – The New York Times, p. 2, ran a memo sent from the Hartford Courant:
Mr. Clemens to Return to Hartford.
From the Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
March 28 Wednesday – In London, England Sam cabled James R. Clemens and Katharine Boland
Clemens: “WE SEND LOVE AND THE HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS” [MTP]. Note: no doubt—a little Clemens!
Muriel Clemens Gotwals (1900-1989); exact birthday not determined.
March 27 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Burlingame, 11 am / Mr. Lucy of ‘Punch,’ lunch 1.30. / Enid Stoker, tea 4.30. / Lady Pontifex tea 5.30 / Görz, dinner, 7.30 / MacAlister, 11.30 p.m” [NB 43 TS 6].
March 26 Monday – London: Sam was free in the daytime for a meeting with John Y. MacAlister [Mar. 23 postcard #2 to MacAlister].
The New York Times, p. 1, ran a squib:
Mark Twain Coming Home Soon.
HARTFORD. March 25.—Letters received from Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) say that he and his family will return soon to Hartford and take up their permanent home there.
March 25 Sunday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote a short PS to his Mar. 24 to Paul Kester. Livy had advised against Kester seeking William Dean Howells’ help in dramatizing TS. Sam advised Kester to “Try him, anyway, & if he won’t, load the job onto Mr. Rogers; he is used to umpiring for me” [MTP].
March 24 Saturday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Paul Kester in N.Y.
I should like to see Tom Sawyer staged. If you will agree upon royalties with Mr. Howells I will accept the result. You can arrange the rest of the business with my friend Mr. H.H. Rogers, 26 Broadway. And I wish you would leave with him a copy of the play, if you don’t mind. We have no copies of [plays] “Colonel Sellers” & “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” I believe.