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- Page II - 


January 17th, 1939 


It is greatly to be regretted that you have to move out of your town house by April 1st, and I can fully understand how you feel, especially the work that is connected with the closing up of a house and particularly the division of the collection, etc., etc. 

And now a bit about New York life. Though there is nothing extremely thrilling to report, there is always plenty going on. It is astounding that although business in general is extremely bad, nevertheless, social activities seem to have reached a new high. There are more "bigger and better" parties being given in spite of higher taxation and the last three weeks the whole town was dizzy. It started with a ball that Marion Cooley and Arranged at the Ritz Carlton; a subscription party, Le Bal des Boules Blanches where we had about 400 people and it was a great success: then a charming stag dinner at Maury's Christmas Eve for all his better and eligible bachelor friends -- a jewel of culinary offerings. Christmas day Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt gave her usual Christmas party. On the 28th there was Brenda Frazier's coming out party and a dance at the Ritz for 2000 -- an intimate little affair. New Year's Eve I attended a delightful dinner at the Ilinksy's; 40 people and what one might call the younger intelligentsia -- writers, musicians, composers, artists and not to forget the newest of all art branches, photographers. Then on to the big dinner that Frank Crocker gave at the Terrace Club (initiation fee $5,000) on the grounds of the World's Fair which was  splendid affair -- dinner for about 300 of really New York's most representative people and after New Year, fire works such as I have never seen before. 

But it would go too far to describe to you all the various functions, expect that there are a few excellent play you might be ingested to hear of such as "Dear Octopus", "Oscar Wilde", "The Importance of Being Earnest" with Clifton Webb, New York's great and funny musical hit "Hellsapoppin", and now we are waiting for Beatrice Lillie's opening on Wednesday in Noel Coweard's new musical production. 

The opera is excellent this yea, better that I can ever recollect. The other day I attended a truly magnificent performance of the "Rosenkavalier" with Lotte Lehman as Marchallin, List as Baron Ochs and a marvelous new American singer, Lise Stevens who was really superb. 

And now as to our friends, Thank goodness they are all more or less well. Maury has been asking for you. I see a lot of him. In fact, I went with him last Friday to Prince Serge Obolensky's Russian New Year's party at he Hotel St. Regis which was very entertaining and smart. Dwight Fiske has gone to Florida and Herrmann Sartorus is about to leave. Beatrice Cartwright left for Albien and you probably might see her is St. Moritz. Bill Powell, Mr. and Mr.s Cole Porter and Len hanna just returned from a three week's cruise to Haiti and the West Indies. And[[r]]e =Mattoni and the Countess de Montjou are pioneering somewhere through he Argentine. Nicky de Gunzburg has furnished a new apartment in what he calls a "true Wittelsbach" style, which is most amusing. The Duc de Verdura (Fulco) abandoned 


t.s.v.p.