Things go along just the same, mother dear. There is no change. I still catch cold & am pestered with rheumatism, & as a consequence my work lags & drags & mostly stands still. Livy has pains in the back of her neck, & the old ones in her spine, but she keeps up her studies & other activities with spirit. The children have French colds which can’t be told from German ones by people ignorant of the language. Rosa has a horrible cold. ClaraⒶemendation Spaulding has the twin to it. She studies hard & has got into the new language so deeply now that the French can’t understand her French & we can’t understand her English. But she & Livy will get over this transition stage presently. Livy had——however, I must take care of the children, now, as Livy & Clara are out & Rosa has gone to dinner. I will write a letter which Susie proposes to dictate to you. AsⒶemendation follows:

new page:

〚From Susie to Grandma.〛

I’ve got a new governess, & we play school with the dollies, & play Schwartzpeter, & read stories, & jump rope, & we sang to her; we sang “Kommt ein Vogel” & “Hänselein willst du tantzen.” We went over to a little baby here in the hotel & we played Blind Man’s Puff, and played hoop & I knocked myself on the nose.—&Ⓐemendation then I think we went back in a few minutes. Charles is a little French boy with brass buttons; he rides us up in the lift; & me & Clara was playing ball a minute ago; & Queen Victoria was in Paris day before yesterday, but I didn’t see her. I’ll say that I’ll close the letter, now.

it is evening Mr Clemens has written you during the day— Clara and I went to take luncheon with Mr Bunce, the artist, he is a cousin of Mr Ned Bunce of Hartford— Mr Bunce has some wonderfully beautiful Venice pictures which we have enjoyed in his studio before, and today we again had great pleasure in them—

Mr Bunce had invited us to come and eat some hash that he makes from American corned beef—

We went about twelve o’clock We found a table made ready for two—and the hash cooking in his stove— After a little we began our lunchⒶemendation, first we had rahdishes and bread & butter— We tried to have us him eat with us but he said he must standⒶemendation so as to wait on us—he drew his easel near us and had his P plate and glass &c on that—he was very much worried for fear we should soil our plates with the radishes and those were all he had and he kept informing us that those plates were for the hash— We had one napkin, a decidedly old fruit napkin that had belonged in his Mother’s family—he set the watter boiling for the tea, then searved us the hash, he was very much afraid it would burn, but it did not, was just nicely browned over the top, and was exceedingly good— We had pickles with the hash and bread & butter—and lemon in our tea—after the hash, apples, oranges and nuts—how I did wish you home friends could have look in and see us— We enjoyed our luncheon very much, & seeing the pretty things that Mr Bunce had in his studio, he has several very pretty pieces of silk tapestry—he intends going to America this Summer and fitting up a studio in New York in the fall—

On Thursday of this past week we went to call on Mr Healy the portrait painter he had called on us—he has some exceedingly fine portraits and one or two that we knew to be very good likenesses, but the man we disliked exceedingly, he seems like one of Dickens characters a kind of made up man— When he we were ready to go he said that he wanted to give Mrs Healey a great pleasure & so took us into an adjacent house where Mrs Healey was recieving, with two daughters, they were just about the most uninteresting family I ever met, they passed tea which was so poor that it was entirely impossible for even me to drink it—

When we rose to go, I thought well this acquaintance shall end here, I will not invite them to call, but Mrs Healey said, “I shall come and see you soon Mrs Clemens,” I thanked her, then she asked if I was at home on any particular day? (every one here has their day at home even the Americans) I said replied that I had not—then she said “oh well then we must take our chance of finding you at home”— One of the daughters asked her Mother if she knew our address which she did, so there was no escape—they all from the father down impressed you as shams, the mother perhaps the least so of the family—

Clara has written home all about our going to see the pictures entered at the salon—you must borrow her letter and read about it—

We feel now as if our time was growing short and as if it would not be very long before we should see you all— We have had an urgent invitation from the Conways to visit them in London, probably Mr Clemens and I will go there for a day or two leaving the rest of the party at the hotel—

I have not had any home letter for a week— I wish I might get one tomorrow with more promiseing business news in it than Charlie’s last—you don’t say any thing about business matter Mother dear— I wish you would write me if you, or any of the family, want me to get any thing for them you— The children are very well except that they have bad slight colds—

Good night Mother dear—we all love you all— Write when you can—but short letters & dont tax yourself— Love to all the household Theodore—Sue—Charlie—Ida & the children