Day By Day Dates

May 4 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “Director Kellgren discovered that Jean has turned the corner & will get well / Dinner—8(?) Moberly Bell, 98 Portland Place” [NB 43 TS 9]. See May 17 to Moffett. MTHHR 445n1

May 5 Saturday – Sam’s notebook: “Mr. Hapgood” [NB 43 TS 9].

May 6 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “Lord Russell 2 Cromwell Houses—2 o’clock” [NB 43 TS 9].

May 7 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “Jim Clemens—dinner / Royal Academy / Mr. Roche—6 to 7—here / Bergheim has returned from Paris. Rothschild takes 6 months’ option on French plasmon patent—can then make it final or withdraw” [NB 43 TS 9-10].

At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Bertha von Suttner in Vienna. The following is headed “Copy” and “(Rough draft)”:

May 8 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Mrs. Low—dinner—7.45. 2 Durham Place, Chelsea, S.W.” [NB 43 TS 10]. Note:

Sir Sidney James Low (1857-1932) lived at this address, and editor of the St. James Gazette (1888-1897).

May 9 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Dinner, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. Trevor Laurence [sic], Treasurer. 6.45” [NB 43 TS 10]. Note: Fatout lists a speech or story for Twain at this event [MT Speaking 666]. Sir James John Trevor Lawrence (1831-1913) English horticulturist and politician, was treasurer for St. Bartholomews from 1892 to 1904.

May 10 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “Mrs. Hincks–dinner” [NB 43 TS 10]. Note: in the back of this NB Sam wrote Mrs. Hinck’s address: “Maitland House Church street Kensington” [TS 33]

At 30 Wellington Court in London, Sam wrote a short note to Poultney Bigelow.

May 11 Friday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, Sam wrote to Adela M. Goodrich-Freer. At the top of the letter he drew a musical staff and notes, suggesting the nature of the invitation he was replying to (not extant).

“Indeed we shall be very glad to drive out there some afternoon—Mrs. Clemens & I—the daughters stick to their tiresome studies & go nowhere. Would Wednesday May 16 or Friday May 18 be convenient for you?” [MTP]. Note: see also Jan. 11.

May 12 Saturday – Christian B. Tauchnitz wrote to Sam about a piracy of TS,D and a lawsuit concerning the piracy; the defendant maintained that the story was 30 years old and came from an American newspaper. Could Sam confirm the first publication of the story? He hoped his letter of Apr. 18 (not extant) from Maxen reached Sam safely [MTP]. ,

May 13 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “Chatto—afternoon carriage will call at noon” [NB 43 TS 10].

May 14 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “Hottest 14th of May ever recorded in New York—92. Here in London it was wintry” [NB 43 TS 10].

May 15 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Plasmon Directors meeting 56 Duke st at 11:30” [NB 43 TS 11].

May 16 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Mrs. Hinck’s dinner / Miss A. Goodrich Freer’s address: The Laurels Burshey Heath” [NB 43 TS 11].

May 17 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: Address: 6 Bickenhall Mansions Gloucester Place W.

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Dine with E. Russell Roberts as “a Bencher’s guest [”] in the hall of the Middle Temple. 6 p.m. He will meet me “at the entrance to the Hall at 5.50.[”] (His address is 3 Old, Lincoln’s Inn.) “Please arrive at the Middle Temple Hall, Middle Temple Lane, & ask to be shown to the Bencher’s room[”].

Balance in Mr. Rogers’s hands, $43,000 [NB 43 TS 11].

May 18 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “Miss Chomondeley—lunch. / Meyer’s lecture Frederic William Myers.—& dine at Stanley’s. / RELIEF of Mafeking. The news came at 9.17 p.m. Before 10 all London was in the streets, gone mad with joy. By then the news was all over the American continent” [NB 43 TS 11]. Note: the siege of Mafeking was a famous British action in the second Boer War. The siege was finally lifted on May 17, 1900, when British forces commanded by Colonel B.T.

May 19 Saturday – Sam’s notebook: “London wild with joy & noise all day & until two hours after midnight / Weather still horribly cold—we have had 9 months of winter. In New York last Monday, thermometer, 92” [NB 43 TS 11]. Note: See May 8 NB entry.

At 30 Wellington Court in London, Sam finished his May 17 to Samuel Moffett:

May 20 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “Lunch 10 m [a.m.?] to 1—come down Middle Temple Lane to Middle Temple—after lunch to Temple Church—get out at 4.30, oratorio begins at 3. Girls invited” [NB 43 TS 11].

May 21 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “Somatose, a Swiss meat-extract & curer of all ills. / Is a £ $4.86? / $3,071— £632? / Speech at Lotos: Thank my 96 creditors, only one of whom was a Shylock—Thos. Russell & son” [NB 43 TS 11-12].

May 22 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Clara Sue & Bertha Underhill—early. / Bigelow, 7.30 10 Elm Park Gardens, S.W. / Irving Underhill wants to pay me $500—owing 7 years. Cannot allow it. He has had a hard time” [NB 43 TS 12].

In the evening in London, The Clemenses visited Irving S. Underhill and family (see above NB entry), who were visiting London [May 23 to Underhill]. Charles Underhill, son of Irving, writes of this evening in his 1928 reminiscence:

May 23 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Dinner here to the Gilders & Chapins? ? ? / Offered $10,000 a year to edit ‘Judge’—the labor required estimated at ‘one hour’ of my time ‘per week.’ Can’t accept” [NB 43 TS 12].

May 24 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “Noon—11 Cornhill—general Countess / Hoyos—dinner—the Farm House, Pont street” [NB 43 TS 12].

May 25 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “Henry Yates Thompson dinner—8. 19 Portman Square” [NB 43 TS 12].

May 26 Saturday – Sam’s notebook: “Col. Church 216 Crowell Rd, S.W. Ranelagh Club—dinner—morning dress. / Barns Elms—over Hamersmith bridge.”

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In reply to Howard Taylor’s request, wrote him he could let the Yankee be played once or twice for the Technological Institute for 40 per cent of the gross [NB 43 TS 12]. Note: Taylor not further identified.

May 27 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “Go up the Thames? MS of ‘The Death-Wafer[’] to Mr. Denny, (W.H.) Laira, Sheen Park, Richmond, Surrey. Telephone 2927 Gerrard. To be returned to me after next Friday” [NB 43 TS 12].