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.

The “detective” chapter mentioned in this letter was not included in ‘A Tramp Abroad.’  It was published separately, as ’The Stolen White Elephant’ in a volume bearing that title.  The play, which he had now found “dreadfully witless and flat,” was no other than “Simon Wheeler, Detective,” which he had once regarded so highly.  The “Stewart” referred to was the millionaire merchant, A. T. Stewart, whose body was stolen in the expectation of reward.

To W. D. Howells, in Boston: 

Munich, Jan. 21, (1879) My dear Howells,—­It’s no use, your letter miscarried in some way and is lost.  The consul has made a thorough search and says he has not been able to trace it.  It is unaccountable, for all the letters I did not want arrived without a single grateful failure.  Well, I have read-up, now, as far as you have got, that is, to where there’s a storm at sea approaching,—­and