The Howells story, running at this time in the Atlantic, and so much enjoyed by the Clemens party, was “The Lady of the Aroostook.”  The suggestions made for enlarging the part of the “old man” are eminently characteristic.

Mark Twain’s forty-third birthday came in Munich, and in his letter conveying this fact to his mother we get a brief added outline of the daily life in that old Bavarian city.  Certainly, it would seem to have been a quieter and more profitable existence than he had known amid the confusion of things left behind in, America.

To Mrs. Jane Clemens and Mrs. Moffett, in America: 

No. 1a Karlstrasse,
Dec. 1, Munich. 1878. 
My dear mother and sister,—­I broke the back of life yesterday and started down-hill toward old age.  This fact has not produced any effect upon me that I can detect.

I suppose we are located here for the winter.  I have a pleasant work-room a mile from here where I do my writing.  The walk to and from that place gives me what exercise I need, and all I take.  We staid three weeks in Venice, a week in Florence, a fortnight in Rome, and arrived here a couple of weeks ago.  Livy and Miss Spaulding are studying drawing and German, and the children have a German day-governess.  I cannot see but that the children speak German as well as they do English.

Susie often translates Livy’s orders to the servants.  I cannot work and study German at the same time:  so I have dropped the latter, and do not even read the language, except in the morning paper to get the news.

We have all pretty good health, latterly, and have seldom had to call the doctor.  The children have been in the open air pretty constantly for months now.  In Venice they were on the water in the gondola most of the time, and were great friends with our gondolier; and in Rome and Florence they had long daily tramps, for Rosa is a famous hand to smell out the sights of a strange place.  Here they wander less extensively.

The family all join in love to you all and to Orion and Mollie. 
                                   Affly
                                        Your son
          
                                        Sam.

XIX.

LETTERS 1879.  RETURN TO AMERICA.  THE GREAT GRANT REUNION

Life went on very well in Munich.  Each day the family fell more in love with Fraulein Dahlweiner and her house.

Mark Twain, however, did not settle down to his work readily.  His “pleasant work-room” provided exercise, but no inspiration.  When he discovered he could not find his Swiss note-book he was ready to give up his travel-writing altogether.  In the letter that follows we find him much less enthusiastic concerning his own performances than over the story by Howells, which he was following in the Atlantic.