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[[preprinted]]
[[image - drawing of a crown]]
Hôtel de Paris
MONTE-CARLO
ADRESSE TÉLÉGRAPHIQUE: PARISOTEL
TÉLÉPHONE: 018-11 (Glignes Groupées)
[[/preprinted]]

Tuesday night March 11 1952

Dear Germain:

On my return from posting my letter, I entered the lobby here and saw in a group of four people, WOOLF and his wife!!! whom I passed with glance averted. I had got to the Lift when he came running and exclaiming CUNNINGHAM!!!!my wife recognized you but you didn't see us!!!! I looked my surprise and said I always expect to see no-one I know so I never look. Then he said that he was so delighted.....where was Mr. S. Why did he cut off the correspondence so abruptly? What was the matter with him? Etc, etc.

I said "Did you have any luck in selling your drawings when you went to New York last Fall?" He said..."I wanted to telephone you JJC but never got around to it....but I never offered the dwgs to anyone (the liar) but why WHY did Mr. S. write that letter?" I said.."Who has the drawings now?" "Well, as a matter of fact in a way, DREY has gotten mixed up in the matter but I am not committed to him but my bankers have been in touch with him and so I dont quite know where the matter stands. But, as I live at Menton, I will telephone you tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock and we will have lunch...you will come with us to the [[underline]]SNOCK--BAR[[/underline]] where the best food in M C is to be had."

Then she left the others and came running up and grabbed my hand and beamed and exclaimed and made a fuss generally. Said..."Shortly after we saw you in Italy, [[underline]]I[[/underline]] WAS ALMOST KILLED IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT" (she didnt get a scratch Engel said sourly) and then she added as an afterthought that VALERIE was in the hospital for four months. I was properly astounded at hearing of the accident and sympathized with her properly. Then they left with loud promises to phone at 9 a.m. to get me for lunch. Incidentally, I told him I had just arrived from Italy and was spending a day in Monte Carlo to break the trip. He asked whether I had found some treasures and I said I saw a lot of them in the Museums.

So, your suggestion that I might see him or Gawronski has come true, and now the question is, what can we do to get anywhere with the most erratic of the landed gentry? Have you any ideas? It is certain that he offered the drawings to every museum he could get into touch with....but he was probably as nebulous with them as he has been all along with every one he has dealt with.

Oddly enough, Engel's name did not come into the conversation and its probably because they think he is away from home. I dont want any thought to cross their minds that I am in touch but they have a way of chiselling in.