center of every great gathering. He was entertained by the Kaiser, and

shown many special attentions by Germans of every rank. His books were

as well known in Berlin as in New York, and at court assemblies and

embassies he was always a chief center of interest.

He was too popular for his own good; the gaiety of the capital told on

him. Finally, one night, after delivering a lecture in a hot room, he

contracted a severe cold, driving to a ball at General von Versen's, and

a few days later was confined to his bed with pneumonia. It was not a

severe attack, but it was long continued. He could write some letters

and even work a little, but he was not allowed to leave his bed for many

weeks, a condition which he did not find a hardship, for no man ever

enjoyed the loose luxury of undress and the comfort of pillows more

than Mark Twain. In a memorandum of that time he wrote: "I am having a

booming time all to myself."

Meantime, Hall, in America, was sending favorable reports of the

publishing business, and this naturally helped to keep up his spirits.

He wrote frequently to Hall, of course, but the letters for the most

part are purely of a business nature and of little interest to the

general reader.

****

To Fred J. Hall, in New York:

820

The Letters Of Mark Twain, Complete