4? December 1882 • Hartford, Conn. (MS, draft, in pencil, and MS, copy sent, in ink: CU-MARK, UCCL 02302)
When you have feared that something was wrong & that it was being kept from you, we have hastened to assure you that we swould have no concealments, but would be always frank, & speak out whenever anything needed seemed to be as it ought not to be. Several months ago I reluctantly ventured to suggest k that one must keep a watchful eye on upon finances & economies, or the idea being that otherwise they might get disordered unmanageable.
If you live beyond a proper cost, who is hurt by it? Not ourselvesⒶemendation, but you. Th new page: selves, mainly, but you. rest of leaf blank, except for these notes on the verso:
Get rent in Hartford.
Price set of 2d-hand furniture for 3 rooms.
What can live on & do their own work?
new page:
I have often had it in mind to place you upon the same footing that as many others standing in the same relation to us—that is, a specific annual sum; but I have not known how to estimate it. It is very necessary that this be done; otherwise we can keep no order in our household accounts. It is also necessary for you; otherwise your expenses will grow upon you in spite of all you can do. The lowest estimate which the artists made for me was $400 a year; but I could not set the figure at that, for it might be too small. The highest estimate was $600; but I did not wish to set it for at that, if you could live comfortably for less. By living comfortably, I mean living as you lived in Hartford—no better, no worse. There has never been a time when I could make a satisfactory estimate, on anything because of expenses in the nature of on anything but “restaurant.” That has been quite regular—the others irregular & not estim easy to estimate. (I will remark in parentheses, that the restaurant was bad economy, I should think; you would have found it so in Hartford—still it may not be so in Paris—you should know best, & be governed accordingly.) “Rent 200” I take to mean 3 months. So I guess things out thus:;—per month:
Rent —––––– $10.
Washing - - - 1.8570
Concierge - - -1.20
Restaurant - - 28.
Coal - -- -1.
Drawing lessons 10.
—–––
$51.00
This comes up to the highest estimates made by the artists. It yet lacks two very necessary itemsⒶemendation—clothing & extras.
Now sit down with pencil & paper & figure out as exactly as you can, what it ought to cost you per year to live, including clothing & necessary extras, & let me know the result. We are assisting a number of friends, & are adding to the list. We must go carefully, & know beforehand what the sum required for each is going to be for the year. This is “business.” By any other method our affairs would fall into confusion.
new page, in ink:
P. S. My conversation concerning the $3,000-limit, was with Mrs. Josie, before Mr. Gerhardt came in. To her I stated the results of conversation (as to estimates of cost of living in Parsis) with Mr. Ward & the artists. (See my last letter.) I placed the limit ast the highest figure contemplated by those estimates. And I added (in substance,) this:
“This is not sentiment. It The thing proposed is a purely business transaction, & has no suggestion of charity about it. The money is borrowed—honorably borrowed—money to be repaid when Mr. Gerhardt can do it without inconvenience—& not till then—& not then he will have to repay it of his own motion, & without hint from us. It is an honorable transaction, & Mr. G. can hold his head as high as if it were money gained by merchandize or labor.”
I think I mentioned that the case was similar to Mr. Gillette’s:—to-wit: ( ⒶemendationMr. Gillette needed a start; we believed in him & in his abilities; we lent him $3,000, to be repaid if ever convenient, & not otherwise. ) Ⓐemendation
I do not know that any part of this talk was repeated in Mr. Gerhardt’s presence. Most likely, it was not; for I would not be likely to say over again a thing which had already been sufficiently said.
In that talk with Mrs. Josie, I emphasized the fact that a careful & intelligent economy was desirable, to the end that Mr. G. might come out, finally, as lightly saddled with debt as possible; for althought that debt would never intrude upon our thoughts or disturb us for a moment, it would disturb him, assuredly, notwithstanding the unbinding & unhampering nature of the terms.
I have made a rather long postscript. I had judged it best to not say anything, I being the one mainly in the wrong, but Mrs. Clemens thought I ought to clear myself, as well as I might. I hope nothing will occur, any more, to trouble or grieve any of us, & I believe nothing will. So I add my love to you both, & my happiness in the little child that is comeing—for all homes are barren that have in them no little child.
MS, draft, in pencil, and MS, copy sent, in ink, CU-MARK. Neither the draft nor the postscript represents the complete letter. The draft in pencil appears to have never been sent. The postscript, in ink, appears to survive from the copy sent.
MicroML, reel 1.