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January 15, 1941

My dear Mr. Warner:

Pardon my delaying in acknowledging your of the 2nd instance. I have to laugh when you say I showed your wife some interesting Marin watercolors. No, the two particular Street Scenes are not in the market for any amount of money from anybody. I don't know what you mean when you say "if you can bring yourself to part with one of the late paintings at a price within my income, I will be the happy owner of another Marin." I have no idea what your income is, and I think I showed you in what I did for you recently that I more than met your spirit and your income. As a matter of fact, the Marin was virtually given to you because of your spirit and not chiefly because of the $200. I personally, with my small income of less than $2,000 a year, will buy that Marin for myself from you for more than $200. This will seem all very enigmatic to you, but it is as simple as anything in the world can be simple in times like these. The minimum that Marin could accept from anybody for one of his recent watercolors is $1,600. This I know you cannot afford. 

I really wonder what a man like you has in mind to give for one of these recent and most mature, so priceless Marins. You see, it's I who am ever trying to learn what others may have in their minds when they want things. And I happen to be the guardian or trustee of such things, and this knowing that I never ask for anything for myself not even ask for the guardianship. 

This is a queer letter to write to you. But I do want to say to you that it was a pleasure to hear what your wife had to say about the Marin you took home from here, how she felt about it. And as for your visit, I am glad you were lucky enough to meet Marin himself. 

Yours sincerely,