My Dear Howells:
It isn’t the Atlantic audience that distresses me; for it is the only audience that I sit down before in perfect serenity (for the simple reason that it don’t require a “humorist” to paint himself stripèd & stand on his head every fifteen minutes.) The trouble was, that I was only bent on “working up an atmosphere” & that is ‸to me‸ a most fidgety & irksome thing sometimes. I avoid it, unsually, but in this case it was absolutely necessary, else every reader would be applying [the ]atmosphere of his own river or sea experiences, & that would spoil everything. shirt wouldn’t fit, you know.1
I could have sent this Article 2 a week ago, or more, but I couldn’t bring myself to the trouble drudgery of revising & correcting it. I have been at that tedious work 3 hours, now, & it only took by George but I am glad it is over.2
Say—I am as prompt as a clock, if I only know the day a thing is wanted—otherwise I am a natural [procrastinaturalist. Tell ]me what day & date you want Nos. 3 & 4, & I will tackle & revise them & they’ll be there to the [minute.
I ]could wind up with No. 4, but there are some things more, which I ‸am‸ powerfully moved to write. Which is natural enough, since I am a person who would quit [authorizing ]in a minute to go to piloting, if the madam would stand it. I would rather sink a steamboat than eat, any time.3
My wife was afraid to write you—so I said with simplicity, “I will give you the language—& ideas.” Through the infinite grace of God there has not been such another insurrection in the family before th as followed this. However, the letter was written, & promptly, too— whereas, heretofore she has remained afraid to do such things.4
With kind regards to Mrs. Howells,
Yrs Ever
Mark
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
Howells had inscribed the gift copy: “Mrs. S. L. Clemens with the best regards of W. D. Howells,
Cambridge, Dec. 4, 1874” (Sotheby 1973, lot 291). In her third
paragraph, Olivia alluded to a passage in the final chapter: People are never equal to the romance of their youth in after life, except by fits, and Ferris especially could
not keep himself at what he called the operatic pitch of their brief betrothal and the early days of their marriage. With his help,
or even his encouragement, his wife might have been able to maintain it. (Howells
1874–75, 259–60)
Source text(s):Previous publication:
L6, 305–7; MTL, 1:236–37; MTHL, 1:49–50.
Provenance:see Howells Letters in Description of Provenance.
Emendations and textual notes:
Hdfd • [sic]
the • the the [corrected miswriting]
procrastinaturalist. Tell • procrastinaturalist. —|Tell
minute. [¶] I • minute. —| [¶] I
authorizing • author | authorizing [rewritten for clarity]
