Another article of this time was the “St. Joan of Arc,” which several years later appeared in Harper’s Magazine.  This article was originally written as the Introduction of the English translation of the official record of the trials and rehabilitation of Joan, then about to be elaborately issued.  Clemens was greatly pleased at being invited to prepare the Introduction of this important volume, but a smug person with pedagogic proclivities was in charge of the copy and proceeded to edit Mark Twain’s manuscript; to alter its phrasing to conform to his own ideas of the Queen’s English.  Then he had it all nicely typewritten, and returned it to show how much he had improved it, and to receive thanks and compliments.  He did not receive any thanks.  Clemens recorded a few of the remarks that he made when he saw his edited manuscript: 

I will not deny that my feelings rose to 104 in the shade.  “The idea!  That this long-eared animal this literary kangaroo this illiterate hostler with his skull full of axle-grease--this.....”  But I stopped there, for this was not the Christian spirit.

His would-be editor received a prompt order to return the manuscript, after which Clemens wrote a letter, some of which will go very well here.

Dear Mr. X.,—­I have examined the first page of my amended Introduction,—­& will begin now & jot down some notes upon your corrections.  If I find any changes which shall not seem to me to be improvements I will point out my reasons for thinking so.  In this way I may chance to be helpful to you, & thus profit you perhaps as much as you have desired to profit me.

First Paragraph.  “Jeanne d’Arc.”  This is rather cheaply pedantic, & is not in very good taste.  Joan is not known by that name among plain people of our race & tongue.  I notice that the name of the Deity occurs several times in the brief instalment of the Trials which you have favored me with.  To be consistent, it will be necessary that you strike out “God” & put in “Dieu.”  Do not neglect this.

Second Paragraph.  Now you have begun on my punctuation.  Don’t you realize that you ought not to intrude your help in a delicate art like that with your limitations?  And do you think that you have added just the right smear of polish to the closing clause of the sentence?

    Third Paragraph.  Ditto.

Fourth Paragraph.  Your word “directly” is misleading; it could be construed to mean “at once.”  Plain clarity is better than ornate obscurity.  I note your sensitive marginal remark:  “Rather unkind to French feelings—­referring to Moscow.”  Indeed I have not been concerning myself about French feelings, but only about stating the facts.  I have said several uncourteous things about the French —­calling them a “nation of ingrates” in one place—­but you have been so busy editing commas & semicolons that you overlooked them & failed to get scared