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Chalet Graa
Gataad (BO)
Switzerland

July 13, 1962

Dear John:

Once more I have to apologize for answering your charming and interesting letter of June 28th with such delay, but London was hardly the place to give me the necessary respite and furthermore my dear secretary, who wishes to send her warmestgreetings to you, was too busy falling for all the alluring sights Bond Street and the others offer to women. 

One of the greatest attractions of our stay at Claridges' was that I ran into your delightful friends - - I am ashamed to say that I cannot remember their names - the ones who bought the two tiny Bourdons and the little Morland girl. She looks more attractive than ever and more of a grande dame than many of your duchesses... You will be happy to learn, I know that her husband was along, looking well, remembering how worried you were about his health.

Reverting now to business matters, Mrs.Parker did tell me that after consulting you, the primitive had been sent to the warehouse and I fully agree that a cooling off period is the best procedure for the time being. This all the more as I will another purpose for calling the young man. Bye and Bye when we meet again, I shall impart further details.

As to your Vicomtesse - you can't keep away from them - I do not feel like telephoning her should I stop in Paris before returning to the States, a step which has not yet been decided upon. As long as she is taking this off-hand attitude, we can also wait a while longer.

Referring to your conclusion about Vaduz, let mewayy that my book, if it ever got that far, brought no news to His Highness, for from what we were told when he went to the States a few years ago, he visited the National Gallery and was shown his marbles in all their glory. Be this as it may, however, persistance might be the solution, in fact, it is the only one at our disposition. I will thus leave it to your most diplomatic, flourishing and elegant style to "keep the door ajar", as you write, in order to pry anew later on into the mystery of their attitude.

This will be all for today, for my secretary, too, is on a vacation though she would tell you that it doesn't look it from the amount of correspondence this poor girl has to take care of. At the top of this letter is our address where we will remain until the end of August, with the exception of a couple of trips which, willy-nilly, I have to take.

With kind thoughts and all good wishes, in which Ethlyne joins me,

Yours,