fever, had the fullest faith in it as a work of art and a winner of fortune.  It would never see the light of production, of course.  We shall see presently that the distinguished playwright, Dion Boucicault, good-naturedly complimented it as being better than “Ahi Sin.”  One must wonder what that skilled artist really thought, and how he could do even this violence to his conscience.

To W. D. Howells, in Boston: 

Elmira, Wednesday P.M. (1877) My dear Howells,—­It’s finished.  I was misled by hurried mis-paging.  There were ten pages of notes, and over 300 pages of Ms when the play was done.  Did it in 42 hours, by the clock; 40 pages of the Atlantic—­but then of course it’s very “fat.”  Those are the figures, but I don’t believe them myself, because the thing’s impossible.

But let that pass.  All day long, and every day, since I finished (in the rough) I have been diligently altering, amending, re-writing, cutting down.  I finished finally today.  Can’t think of anything else in the way of an improvement.  I thought I would stick to it while the interest was hot—­and I am mighty glad I did.  A week from now it will be frozen—­then revising would be drudgery. (You see I learned something from the fatal blunder of putting “Ah Sin” aside before it was finished.)

She’s all right, now.  She reads in two hours and 20 minutes and will play not longer than 2 3/4 hours.  Nineteen characters; 3 acts; (I bunched 2 into 1.)

Tomorrow I will draw up an exhaustive synopsis to insert in the printed title-page for copyrighting, and then on Friday or Saturday I go to New York to remain a week or ten days and lay for an actor.  Wish you could run down there and have a holiday.  ’Twould be fun.

My wife won’t have “Balaam’s Ass”; therefore I call the piece “Cap’n
Simon Wheeler, The Amateur Detective.” 
                                   Yrs
          
                              Mark.

To W. D. Howells, in Boston: 

Elmira, Aug. 29, 1877.  My dear Howells,—­Just got your letter last night.  No, dern that article,—­[One of the Bermuda chapters.]—­it made me cry when I read it in proof, it was so oppressively and ostentatiously poor.  Skim your eye over it again and you will think as I do.  If Isaac and the prophets of Baal can be doctored gently and made permissible, it will redeem the thing:  but if it can’t, let’s burn all of the articles except the tail-end of it and use that as an introduction to the next article—­as I suggested in my letter to you of day before yesterday. (I had this proof from Cambridge before yours came.)

Boucicault says my new play is ever so much better than “Ah Sin;” says the Amateur detective is a bully character, too.  An actor is chawing over the play in New York, to see if the old Detective is suited to his abilities.  Haven’t heard from him yet.