Monday, 11 December 1882

Saint-Marceaux came!!!
You know that my current pose consists in raising him to the skies. God, Michelangelo, and Saint-Marceaux.
I had asked him for the address of his gas fitter; he responded very kindly, and I thanked him by asking to see what he is working on at home. And he came just ten minutes before I arrived back. Isn't that vexing? I have talked about him so much these past days that, under the influence of this pose, I write him these pretentious words on my card:
Desolated to have missed you... But perhaps you came in the hope of finding no one, and thus avoiding a visit to your studio?
If I am wrong to suppose you have so black a soul, prove it by returning one of these days between six and seven. Maman does not yet have a day.
There are moments when life seems so sad, so dark, so empty, that one feels lost — one does not know why.

Notes

René de Saint-Marceaux (1845–1915): one of the most celebrated French sculptors of his generation, known for his graceful, intimate figures. Marie admires him extravagantly and has been corresponding with him. The triple exclamation mark is hers.