I was never in so close a place before; never in one so implacably impossible to improve or loosen-up amnywhere. When I got your letter I found nmyself exceedingly perplexed; because, if a banquet was going to be given to you, I should of course want to be there; & yet I knew I couldn’t be there. AfterⒶemendation your generous treatment of me, in your country, how could I be absent & silent when opportunity was offered to do you similar honor in my country? yet I knew I must be absent. So I telegraphed you, in the vague hope that there was a mistake somewhere. I also did the usual thing—sent a messenger to inquire into the mystery: for when people tell other people I have accepted an invitation which I have never heard of, (& this occurs with some frequency,) I suspect that there is a lunatic or a practical joker in the matter, or that there is something pretty questionable going on, somewhere. I also took measures to find out (in case everything was right & fair,) whether it might not be possible to persuade the people of Holyoke to postpone the dinner for a few weeks. The resulting report showed—1. That everything was square & right;, & no lunatics or jokers mixed up in it; 2, That the seating capacity was 110, & that 70 tickets had already been sold; 3, The date had been already postponed, once, to meet Governor Long’s convenience. Three very sufficient reasons against attempting to procure another postponement—so of course I dropped that idea. There was one thing which could set me free—& in that case I could be there, postponement or no postponement. I waited for that verdict. The decision came last night: it was against me, & left me still in my bonds. So there was nothing to do but send a reply to the gentlemen in Holyoke, declining. That I have done to-day.

Confound those people for rushing this thing through in this frantic way, without giving me a chance to say a word. It was of no importance to them that I should have this chance, but it was of great importance to me. A comparison of the date of your letter with the date of the invitation which I found here when I reached home, obliges me to infer that the very same mail which invited me, informed me you that I had been invited & had accepted. This was not proper treatment of either you or me, & could have been avoided & everything put in good & satisfactory shape by a letter or so or a telegram or two.

Now, behind all this long letter of mine there is matter which I would very much like to talk to you about—not write. Cannot you leave Montreal long enough before the 31st to give me a visit of a day or two on your way to Holyoke? I will take it as a great favor if you will do that. Will you come? If so, please give me your train & date, & I will meet you at the railway station.

With sentiments of the warmest regard & esteem, I am

letter docketed: Mark Twain