by Mark Twain
13 The accident which cost Lord Douglas his life, (see chapter 41) also cost the lives of three other men. These three fell four-fifths of a mile, and their bodies were afterwards found, lying side by side, upon a glacier, whence they were borne to Zermatt and buried in the churchyard. The remains of Lord Douglas have never been found. The secret of his sepulture, like that of Moses, must remain a mystery always.
14 “Pretty much” may not be elegant English, but it is high time it was. There is no elegant word or phrase which means just what it means.—M.T.
15 This was on a Sunday. M. T.
16 Sir George Young and his brothers James and Albert.
17 See Frontispiece.
18 “Revenge!”
19 Wenn er aber auf der Strasse der in Sammt und Seide gehüllten jetz sehr ungenirt nach der neusten mode gekleideten Regierungsrathin begegnet.”
20 I capitalize the nouns, in the German (and ancient English) fashion.
21 It merely means, in its general sense, “herewith.”
22 “Verdammt,” and its variations and enlargements, are words which have plenty of meaning, but the sounds are so mild and ineffectual that German ladies can use them without sin. German ladies who could not be induced to commit a sin by any persuasion or compulsion, promptly rip out one of these harmless little words when they tear their dresses or don’t like the soup. It sounds about as wicked as our “My gracious.” German ladies are constantly saying, “Ach! Gott!” “Mein Gott!” “Gott in Himmel!” “Herr Gott!” “Der Herr Jesus!” etc. They think our ladies have the same custom, perhaps, for I once heard a gentle and lovely old German lady say to a sweet young American girl, “The two languages are so alike—how pleasant that is; we say ‘Ach! Gott!’ you say ‘Goddam.’ ”