trap he had made for himself, and we should have found the rest of the

remains away down at the bottom of the steep ravine.

Ten minutes later Theodore and I arrived opposite the house, with the

servants straggling after us, and shouted to the distracted group on the

porch, "Everybody safe!"

Believe it? Why how could they? They knew the road perfectly. We might

as well have said it to people who had seen their friends go over

Niagara.

However, we convinced them; and then, instead of saying something, or

going on crying, they grew very still--words could not express it, I

suppose.

Nobody could do anything that night, or sleep, either; but there was a

deal of moving talk, with long pauses between pictures of that flying

carriage, these pauses represented--this picture intruded itself all the

time and disjointed the talk.

But yesterday evening late, when Lewis arrived from down town he

found his supper spread, and some presents of books there, with very

complimentary writings on the fly-leaves, and certain very complimentary

letters, and more or less greenbacks of dignified denomination pinned to

these letters and fly-leaves,--and one said, among other things, (signed

by the Cranes) "We cancel $400 of your indebtedness to us," &c. &c.

438

The Letters Of Mark Twain, Complete