It makes 27 or 28,000 words, and is really written for grown folks, though I expect young folk to read it, too.  It transfers to the banks of the Mississippi the incidents of a strange murder which was committed in Sweden in old times.

I’ll refer applicants for a sight of the story to you or Miss Harrison.
—­[Secretary to Mr. Rogers.]
                         Yours sincerely,
                                   S. L. Clemens.

To H. H. Rogers, in New York City: 

169 Rue de L’UNIVERSITE,
Apr. 29, ’95. 
Dear Mr. Rogers,—­Your felicitous delightful letter of the 15th arrived three days ago, and brought great pleasure into the house.

There is one thing that weighs heavily on Mrs. Clemens and me.  That is Brusnahan’s money.  If he is satisfied to have it invested in the Chicago enterprise, well and good; if not, we would like to have the money paid back to him.  I will give him as many months to decide in as he pleases —­let him name 6 or 10 or 12—­and we will let the money stay where it is in your hands till the time is up.  Will Miss Harrison tell him so?  I mean if you approve.  I would like him to have a good investment, but would meantime prefer to protect him against loss.

At 6 minutes past 7, yesterday evening, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

With the long strain gone, I am in a sort of physical collapse today, but it will be gone tomorrow.  I judged that this end of the book would be hard work, and it turned out so.  I have never done any work before that cost so much thinking and weighing and measuring and planning and cramming, or so much cautious and painstaking execution.  For I wanted the whole Rouen trial in, if it could be got in in such a way that the reader’s interest would not flag—­in fact I wanted the reader’s interest to increase; and so I stuck to it with that determination in view—­with the result that I have left nothing out but unimportant repetitions.  Although it is mere history—­history pure and simple—­history stripped naked of flowers, embroideries, colorings, exaggerations, invention—­the family agree that I have succeeded.  It was a perilous thing to try in a tale, but I never believed it a doubtful one—­provided I stuck strictly to business and didn’t weaken and give up:  or didn’t get lazy and skimp the work.  The first two-thirds of the book were easy; for I only needed to keep my historical road straight; therefore I used for reference only one French history and one English one—­and shoveled in as much fancy work and invention on both sides of the historical road as I pleased.  But on this last third I have constantly used five French sources and five English ones and I think no telling historical nugget in any of them has escaped me.

Possibly the book may not sell, but that is nothing—­it was written for love.

There—­I’m called to see company.  The family seldom require this of me,
but they know I am not working today. 
                         Yours sincerely,
                                   S. L. Clemens.