CHAPTER XV

America Again

(At Quarry Farm, Elmira, N. Y.)

AUGUST i, iHSo. Talking last night about home mat-
ters, I said: "I wish I had said to George (colored butler)
when we were leaving home, 'Now, George, 1 wish you
would take advantage of these three or four months' idle
time, while we are away—* 'to learn to leave my matches
alone!' interrupted Livy. They were the very words I was
going to use, yet George had not been mentioned before
nor his peculiarities.

Several years ago I said: "Suppose I should live to
he 92, and just as I was dying a messenger should enter
arid say11—

uYou are become the Karl of Durham—"
interrupted Livy. The wry words I was going to utter.
Yet there had not been a word about that carl, nor had
there been any conversation calculated to suggest any
such subject*

The earldom of Durham was an appanage of
the Knglish Lampions (or Lambdons) of whom
Mark Twain's mother was a descendant. Mark
Twain sometimes amused himself with the re-
mote possibility of the title shifting to his branch
of the family, and his book The American Claim-
ant, grew out of this idea.

In Canada November 28, 1880
Mild yesterday and sifted snow all day. That was ac-

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