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Monte Carlo,
August 11th., 1937.

Dear César:

I have been thinking over most carefully your lines of August 5th., and in spite of my great desire to comply with your wishes I do not see how I can write to Paul S. were it for the mere reason that he never answered my cable in which I had asked him to let me know what valuation he put on his watercolor.  Also that though I had cabled him that you were absent motoring in central Europe, his second cable was still addressed to you.  It shows all the elements of a complex in the circumvolutions of which we won't penetrate, but which decidedly indicates that he wishes to hear the fatal words as to dollars and cents, from you - darling C ésar.

These being the premise you will have to write to him, and now, between you and me as business men, we have to weigh the imponderables or what we could call the "cote d'amour" which we are willing to add to the intrinsic market value of the P.S. "Mont Ste. Victoire".  I agree fully with your figures - $2500 to $3000., would be well paid.  If you were rich, you write, you would be willing to go as high as $3000. to $4000.  I agree with you again., and I would even go slightly higher - that is, up to £1,000.  Do go ahead on this basis.

Your suggestion of buying back the two Diego Martelli drawings - plus 10% - would no doubt be preferable.  Why don't you make this suggestion at the same time.  If you feel like it, do put in a good word for me in the letter, so that he will realize that though I am a mere incident in the cog-wheel, after all I am just the one who will pay, I have a tiny bit - as small as it may be - to say in this matter.

I am returning to you the correspondence you were kind enough to send for my perusal, - Mme. Baptandier is well known to us.  In fact, years ago, I took the trip to Clermont-Ferrand just to see her.  The only things, always taken with a grain of salt, which might be interesting are the "drap d'or" and perhaps the Leonardo.  The Fouquier is known to me and in fact I started negotiations with Roland Balay about it several weeks ago.  But how can we approach her without telling her that we are acting on behalf and for the account of Prof. Sachs?

I am roasting and swimming to society and hope you are doing alike in some other field.

With kindest wishes, and my most cordial feelings,


César M. de Hauke, Esq.,
Gasthaus, zum Lachsen,
St.Wolfgang, Austria.

Transcription Notes:
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