Now, my grand tableau is a secret, of course. I am working at its preparation and write while the model reposes... it is not the preparation, as we say at Julian's, I am only doing studies for it must not be done in an atelier;... well, I was going to tell the great secret...
I am glad to hear Miss Webb does good things, she is nice;—mes très sincères amitiés to her and Miss B...
You cannot imagine the scie that became my pastel; it is so very good every one speaks of it to my friends who come to me and say what they have heard. I am quite sorry it is not picture. Bastien says that it is art even if it were a mere fusain. M. Lefevre saw it, and M. Tony asked me to give it for his atelier, but it is a portrait and cannot be given like that; then he said he would pose himself.
Les orgues et les voix de femmes! Remember Carolus painted by Sargent. Goodness, non sum dignus!
Well now, plaisanterie à part, I am happy to be of the illustrious atelier de dames. Some... suppose few, were so wicked, and I feel unfortunately so deeply the antipathy! one is enough to viciate the air of a whole room. I am sure now that I made few progress partly because I paid to much attention to those delightful voix de femmes whose judgements paralysed what I was to do; indeed, when I was painting there was always the thought that they disprized my work. It is very stupid I know, especially because they said of me what they said of artists whose shoes are to highborn to be blacked by them. Some sweet woman's voices say Bastien is not an artist, but only, un exécutant!
Perhaps we shall go to Dieppe; if you are still there I will corne and see you; only I am afraid d'être conquise par cette Bretagne que je dédaigne, et de trop regretter de n'y avoir pas été pour travailler[21].....
Note 20: [(retour) ]
Les mots en italique sont en français dans le texte anglais.
Note 21: [(retour) ]
La fin de la lettre est en français, on la trouve à la suite de la traduction ci-dessous.
Traduction de la lettre précédente.
Ma chère Alice,