Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/140

 of a girl." Being very young and very ardent, he followed her at a respectful distance to see where she lived. Almost immediately she turned into a house and the door shut behind her. Mark Twain felt he must make some excuse to see her again or find out something about her, so plucking up courage he rang boldly at the door.

It was opened by the young lady herself.

"Does Mr John William Gregory live here?" asked Mark Twain, inventing the first name that came into his head.

"Yes, he does," was the unexpected answer.

"You don't say!" ejaculated Mark Twain, as he fled from the house in a frenzy of astonishment.

It was once H. H.'s fortune to be chairman of a dinner given to his friend Mark Twain. By some curious mental aberration the guest chosen to propose the health of Mark Twain made a long speech lasting half an hour and finally sat down, having never once mentioned his name. Mark Twain rose to reply:

"Gentlemen, I'm very sorry I've only brought one speech with me to-night, and as it doesn't seem to suit the occasion I guess I'll sit down. I made sure that gentleman was going to say what a fine fellow I was and how honoured you all felt at having me and that America should be proud of her son; and in reply I was going to say I was quite overcome by such praise, far, far exceeding my deserts, and I was a modest man, and he had made me blush, and I should never forget his words and carry them back to America in my heart, and so on. Well, gentlemen, I can't think up another speech in a hurry, and speaking for myself, I'm very sorry not to deliver that one, because it was a real good speech and you would have liked it."