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.”
———
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].
May 28 Monday – In London, England Sam wrote to three- year-old Miss Margaret Carnegie (1897-1990), daughter of Andrew Carnegie, in a unique approach to get her father to buy stock in the Plasmon Syndicate of London, of which Sam was a director.
You are so little that you probably can’t remember so large a bulk as I am, but that is no matter, I remember you very well, & this is only a business letter, anyway.
May 29 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Countess Hoyos? / (Dr. Hillyer [sic], open—30 Wimpole st W.[ )] / Andrew Carnegie Skibo Castle Sutherlandshire N.B.” [NB 43 TS 13]. Note: Dr. Alfred Peter Hilliard.
Rogers wrote to Sam. Only the envelope survives, upon which Sam wrote “Contract for Tom Sawyer” [MTP]. Note: TS the play. See Mar.25 to Rogers; also May 28.
May 30 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Goerz ? YES 7.30 / Never tell a lie, even when it is the truth / He died in 1847—I was at the funeral. / Never tell a lie, even when it is the truth” [NB 43 TS 13]. Note: Sam inserted later in ink after Goerz: “Died. July 28, 1900”.
Chatto & Windus published 6,000 copies of the 6s.0d. English edition of The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg [Welland 238].
Fatout lists a JA reading for Mark Twain for Canon Wilberforce
May 31 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “Gilders here—dinner” [NB 43 TS 13]. Note: the NB also lists “P. of Wales Cromwell play” and the play Rip Van Winkle by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1853-1917) on this the opening day for the performance. Gribben speculates Sam possibly saw the play this day [711]. Note: see July 1, 1897 entry for bio info. on Tree.
June – Harper & Brothers published the first edition of The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories and Essays . Two copies were deposited with the Copyright Office on June 11 [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Afterword materials p.23, Oxford ed. 1996].
June 1 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “LUNCH 1 pm. / Duke of York’s—3 p.m. / Doubleday—lunch Be at Savoy Grill Room, Strand entrance / 1 p.m./ Theatre (Mrs. C.) / Andrew Lang? / (A. Abbey, 8 pm” [NB 43 TS 13-14]. Note: Duke of York at this time was Prince George (1865-1936) who became King George V in 1910.
June 2 Saturday – Sam’s notebook: “Prof. J. Mark Baldwin of Princeton coming with J.L. Adams 11 a.m. Writes books on psychology. Oxford, now, on this industry. / Burford Bridge Hotel Dorking. / Andrew Lang? See July 1, for his address” [NB 43 TS 14].
June 3 Sunday – Whitsuntide (Pentecost) in London. Sam’s notebook: “1 Hamilton Place, Piccaly / Boating on the Thames. Herring. / Train 11. Paddington. / to Taplow—11 am arriving at 11.38. Fly waiting—the man will have white ribbon on his whip. / Dinner / Burford Bridge Hotel Dorking” [NB 43 TS 14].
Adele Chapin (Mrs. Robert Chapin) recalls Mark Twain coming by two days after their dinner where he met the artist James Abbott McNeil Whistler:
June 4 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “Chapin 8. If coming send no telegram. / Send congratulations to Miss Mai Rogers 26 E 57th—cable about noon. / CHAPIN—Dinner 8 pm” [NB 43 TS 14]. Note: Robert and Adele Chapin; Robert was US Consul in Johannesburg during Sam’s 1896 tour there.
In London, England Sam wrote a postcard to Franklin G. Whitmore.
June 5 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Exhibition (medical) Queen’s Hall, top of Regent St—3 p.m./ Jim Clemens—dinner 7.30. 22 Queensberry Place, Cromwell Road / Jap show. Nottinghill Gate Coronet Theatre 2.30 p.m.” [NB 43 TS 15].
At 30 Wellington Court in London, Sam replied to an invitation by James Mark Baldwin to dine at one of the Oxford colleges.
Dear Professor Baldwin:—
I shall like it. It is so long since I was last in Oxford that all its features are grown dim to me; even Guy Faux’s lantern.
June 6 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “? Article Club Lord Suffield, Pr. Laurence Cowen, Sec. 6.30 for 7. Trocadero Restaurant. / Andrew Lang? / 36 Theobald’s Row with Spal—3 pm” [NB 43 TS 15].
June 7 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “Murray, 11.40 to Victoria, Brighton. / Went to Woldingham, Surrey. Saw Robert Bar [sic Barr] & family” [NB 43 TS 15].
At 9 p.m., 30 Wellington Court in London, Sam wrote again to James Mark Baldwin, after sending a telegram.
June 8 Friday – Clara Clemens’ 26th birthday.
Sam’s notebook: “Duke st Plasmon (noon. [ )]” [NB 43 TS 15]. Note: 56 Duke Street for Plasmon meeting.
June 9 Saturday – Sam’s notebook: “Call at 20 at 5.30. GOUT FOOD. / Savage Club 6 p.m. with MacAlister. / Afterward, the dinner to Irving at the Savoy—8.30 or 9 will do, I guess” [NB 43 TS 15]. Note: “Call at 20” likely refers to an address.
Sam attended a welcome home dinner for Sir Henry Irving after his American tour at the Savoy Hotel in London. From the June 10 N.Y. Times, p.4
WELCOME HOME TO IRVING.
Ambassador Choate in a Witty Vein—
June 10 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “Oxford, 9 or 11.45 see next page” [NB 43 TS 15]. Note: next page, lined out: “Oxford: 9 or 11.45 Paddington. Prof. J. Mark Baldwin. Drive straight to 6 Bardwell Rd. Dinner & all night” [NB 43 TS 16].
Fatout gives this date for Sam’s speech (not recorded) at Magdalen College, Oxford. Sam had been unable to attend an earlier planned luncheon (June 7) with James Mark Baldwin, who wrote in his memoirs:
June 11 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “Andrew Lang, 1 Marloes Road, Kensington / Admiral Bridge 22 Wilton st Kensington / Plasmon 12? / Mailed letters to Wm. M. Clemens, P.O. Box 1716 New York & the Bowen-Merril Co., Indianapolis warning them not to issue those books” [NB 43 TS 15-16]. Note: see June 13 to H.H. Rogers on Will M. Clemens matter; the letter to Will’s publisher IS not extant.
June 12 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “MacMillan, dinner—8.15 52 Cadogan Place. / Hon. Mem. for 1 month from date. Beefsteak Club, 9 Green st., Leicester W.C. Maj. Stuart Wortley” [NB 43 TS 16]. Note: Beefsteak Club, founded in 1876, was the descendant of several other clubs from the 1700s. It was an after-theatre club bohemian in nature with about 200 members, including Henry Irving, John Lawrence Toole, Henry Labouchere, and others.