I thought the following  might be of interest --- from an unpublished
manuscript by Poultney Bigelow:

<<<< The following refers to his Joan of Arc -- a work that should not have
been attempted.  Anatole France has done it well, but Mark Twain has made
rather a wearisome and uncritical rhapsody.  Moreover his anonymity served
no good purpose -- it raised no violent discussion as was the case when
Walter Scott hid himself in Waverly  or John Hay in his Bread Winners.
Few of his best friends recognized him in this very serious book -- and even
after its true authorship was divulged people preferred the old Mark Twain
of Innocents Abroad.>>>>>>


Ric Dragon