Next week the baby died. Meantime I had spoken to Tom Hood and gained his sympathy. The young man had sent his manuscript to him, and the very day the child died the money for the MS. came--three guineas. The young man came with a poor little strip of crape around his arm and thanked me, and said that nothing could have been more timely than that money, and that his poor little wife was grateful beyond words for the service I had rendered. He wept, and in fact Stoddard and I wept with him, which was but natural. Also Dolby wept. At least he wiped his eyes and wrung out his handkerchief, and sobbed stertorously and made other exaggerated shows of grief. Stoddard and I were ashamed of Dolby, and tried to make the young man understand that he meant no harm, it was only his way. The young man said sadly that he was not minding it, his grief was too deep for other hurts; that he was only thinking of the funeral, and the heavy expenses which-- We cut that short and told him not to trouble about it, leave it all to us; send the bills to Mr. Dolby and-- "Yes," said Dolby, with a mock tremor in his voice, "send them to me, and I will pay them. What, are you going? You must not go alone in your worn and broken condition; Mr. Stoddard and I will go with you. Come, Stoddard. We will comfort the bereaved mamma and get a lock of the baby's hair." It was shocking. We were ashamed of him again, and said so. But he was not disturbed. He said-- "Oh, I know this kind, the woods are full of them. I'll make this offer: if he will show me his family I will give him twenty pounds. Come!" The young man said he would not remain to be insulted; and he said good-night and took his hat. But Dolby said he would go with him, and stay by him until he found the family. Stoddard went along to soothe the young man and modify Dolby. They drove across the river and all over Southwark, but did not find the family. At last the young man confessed there wasn't any. The thing he sold to Tom Hood's Annual was "Jim and the Cats." And he did not put my name to it. So that small tale was sold three times. I am selling it again, now. It is one of the best properties I have come across. MARK TWAIN. (_To be Continued._) FOOTNOTES: [9] The colored butler. [10] See "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." [11] Used in "Huck Finn," I think. [12] Used in "Tom Sawyer." NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW No. DCXV. MAY 17, 1907. CHAPTERS FROM MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY.--XVIII. BY MARK TWAIN. [_Dictated December 21, 1906._] I wish to insert here some pages of Susy's Biography of me in which the biographer does not scatter, according to her custom, but sticks pretty steadily to a single subject until she has fought it to a finish: