Bierce insisted that he wasn’t covering up for his employer, that publisher Frederick A. Marriott would return soon, and asked if there was anything he could do for the caller.
“I’ve come to repay Marriott a loan,†Twain explained.
“You could leave the money with me.â€
“Young man,†Twain demanded, staring intently at Bierce. “look me in the eye and speak as if you were talking to your God. If I gave you that money, are you sure your employer would ever see it?â€
That broke the ice, and Twain chatted amiably until Marriott returned.
However, as Bierce retold the story of the meeting, the audience looked to Twain for his reaction—and saw him sitting stone-faced, looking off into the distance, presumably bored. Twain’s response was not lost on Bierce, who faltered in his delivery and sat down to funereal silence. According to biographer Carey McWilliams, Bierce never spoke in public again.
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