Clearly, it was not the principals who were hurt, but only those who
     held them in awe, though one can realize that this would not make it
     much easier for Mark Twain.

XVIII.

Letters from Europe, 1878-79.  Tramping with Twichell.  Writing A new travel book.  Life in Munich

Whether the unhappy occurrence at the Whittier dinner had anything to do with Mark Twain’s resolve to spend a year or two in Europe cannot be known now.  There were other good reasons for going, one in particular being a demand for another book of travel.  It was also true, as he explains in a letter to his mother, that his days were full of annoyances, making it difficult for him to work.  He had a tendency to invest money in almost any glittering enterprise that came along, and at this time he was involved in the promotion of a variety of patent rights that brought him no return other than assessment and vexation.

Clemens’s mother was by this time living with her son Onion and his
wife, in Iowa.

To Mrs. Jane Clemens, in Keokuk, Iowa: 

Hartford, Feb. 17, 1878 My dear mother,—­I suppose I am the worst correspondent in the whole world; and yet I grow worse and worse all the time.  My conscience blisters me for not writing you, but it has ceased to abuse me for not writing other folks.

Life has come to be a very serious matter with me.  I have a badgered, harassed feeling, a good part of my time.  It comes mainly of business responsibilities and annoyances, and the persecution of kindly letters from well meaning strangers—­to whom I must be rudely silent or else put in the biggest half of my time bothering over answers.  There are other things also that help to consume my time and defeat my projects.  Well, the consequence is, I cannot write a book at home.  This cuts my income down.  Therefore, I have about made up my mind to take my tribe and fly to some little corner of Europe and budge no more until I shall have completed one of the half dozen books that lie begun, up stairs.  Please say nothing about this at present.

We propose to sail the 11th of April.  I shall go to Fredonia to meet you, but it will not be well for Livy to make that trip I am afraid.  However, we shall see.  I will hope she can go.

Mr. Twichell has just come in, so I must go to him.  We are all well, and
send love to you all. 
                              Affly,
                                        Sam.