When Clemens had been platforming with Cable and returned to Hartford for his Christmas vacation, the Warner and Clemens families had joined in preparing for him a surprise performance of The Prince and the Pauper. The Clemens household was always given to theatricals, and it was about this time that scenery and a stage were prepared - mainly by the sculptor Gerhardt - for these home performances, after which productions of The Prince and the Pauper were given with considerable regularity to audiences consisting of parents and invited friends. The subject is a fascinating one, but it has been dwelt upon elsewhere. - [In Mark Twain: A Biography, chaps. cliff and clx.] - We get a glimpse of one of these occasions as well as of Mark Twain's financial progress in the next brief note. MY DEAR HOWELLS, - The date set for the Prince and Pauper play is ten days hence - Jan. 13. I hope you and Pilla can take a train that arrives here during the day; the one that leaves Boston toward the end of the afternoon would be a trifle late; the performance would have already begun when you reached the house.
