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                    3.
as you know is careless at times in dress but even in his most slovenly moments he look better than most of the artists. They are rather seedy. 

The studio seems healthy. A pipe from the water-closet above goes partly thru one end, but the closet on Will’s floor, altho it is under one corner of the balcony of his room; - not the end in which he sleeps;- opens off the common hall, & has a window which is always open. As far as I can see it is quite civilized for a foreign studio; - at least no one has ever complained. The court yard is not shut in four or five stones high on all sides, but is open in two places opposite Will’s windows.

In regard to your advising Will I really do not think there is very much which you can say. He must at his age be left of course to look a good deal after himself & to plan his own life. As far as planning to be a painter I think he does all which anyone could expect of him. He seems to work hard & intelligently; & I think when you see his present to Homer that you will say also with considerable success. I think this picture would be accepted in any exhibition in Europe. I think however that you might say that as long as you make him an ample allowance that he has no right to economize in the question of eating, as he certainly did in his last pension. This I tried to impress upon him myself. As I wrote above, I do not think it possible to live well; that is anything up to our usual home 

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standard;- for less than from 80 [[cents]] (4 fr) per day in a restaurant, or from 4.50 to 5.00 per week in a pension. I do not see why you should not insist on Will’s letting you; - provided you have any doubts about his living well;- just how much he spends each week for food, provided of course that you make it clear that you are worried less he spend too little.
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He is inclined to be a little too economical for fear of burdening you, or of not being able to spend a second year if necessary in Paris. I think with expense of studio, paints, frames etc that very likely he ought, – in order to live as a gentleman;- to spend close upon 75. pr. month. Even then he would be putting something aside for another year.

But, as I have said, after living with Will for over two week, & eating in his restaurants, I do not see any special reason for worrying about his health & of course no reason whatsoever to worry about his work or life. I shall write him about the food question myself.

Yours
Robert.

(1) Aunt Wilhemina will buy the needle for Helen & send it in a package. Please ask Helen to accept it from me as a present. I was not quite certain that I could get the right one myself. Did not dare trust to a [[?]].

(2) Mother has never said whether she received my photographs or not.

(3) As I wrote on a postal today, I cannot get into my old pension yet, & so am going to use my ticket to Dresden & stay there a week in an inexpensive pension I know of. My address then is as usual, 36# Dorotheen St.

I suppose that the overstocked copper market & the political change will mean a dull stock market for a while.