Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff
CZENUKFR

Monday, 20 March 1882

I had hoped to finish the picture by the 23rd and exhibit it. It is no longer possible — that head, so well begun and interrupted, will not come together again.

J'esperais finir le tableau pour le 23 et l'exposer. Il n'y a plus moyen, cette tete si bien parti et interrompue ne s'amene plus.

Barnola comes often; he has inherited from his aunt. I should like him to marry Dina.

Barnola vient souvent, il a herite de sa tante, je voudrais qu'il epouse Dina.

Here is the letter I am writing to Julian — he wrote to me a week ago, enclosing a caricature of Cassagnac.

Voici la lettre que j'ecris a Julian, il m'a ecrit il y a huit jours en envoyant une caricature sur Cassagnac.

To M. Julian — greetings-from-the-chest.1

A M. Julian, salut-de poitrine.

Our miserable family, entirely given over to the vice of gambling, has aban-don-ned-water-lily us in an almost deserted and in some sense uninhabited-Russian square. The fishermen wished to take us in but soon recognised that we were more so than they — of fish — and let us go — of chicken. Opposite the villa there is a saw-farm (pharmacie for readers of Le Pays) and every evening we drink milk-swimming there after having accomplished vast works at the salad.2 Besides, here is the rough draft — [missing]

Notre miserable famille, tout entiere au vice du jeu nous a aban-donnes-nuphar sur une place presque deserte...

And Julian replies that he has gone to reserve three rooms at Mme Magnan's (Sainte-Anne) where they have: showers, straitjackets, etc. Have no anxiety.

Et Julian repond qu'il est alle retenir trois chambres chez Mme Magnan (Sainte Anne) et qu'il y a la: douches, camisoles etc. Soyez sans inquietude.

Notes

Marie puns on salut (greetings) and poitrine (chest), referring to her pleurisy. ↩
Marie's letter to Julian is a string of puns: "aban-donnes-nuphar" plays on abandonnées and nuphar (water lily); "lait-nage" on laitage (dairy) and nage (swimming); "farme à scie" approximates pharmacie. ↩