Monday, 17 December 1883

A baby of eight months poses on its mother's knee. I made two studies: one full face and laughing, the other asleep and nursing. As it spends the whole day in one of these positions, it is fairly convenient — convenient... up to a point. Bojidar draws and Claire paints. I think they amused themselves a little at my expense because I do not hear well... But it is only human... And I myself [word blackened: will do] probably the same — especially having nothing to say and wanting to shine at any price — which is Bojidar's case. One could adjust to limping... Oh! yes, but... Bojidar is going to make a drawing for the Salon before my eyes — he is incapable of it; I shall have him copy one of my drawings so that he can swear he did it himself, or else I shall do it for him. And Claire is going to paint a picture — flowers with an old woman vendor. That too will be me. Both of them know me well enough to know the secret will be kept. And why am I going to be so good? Because... the Canroberts can be useful to me for the Salon... Let me cite, on the subject of patronage of all kinds, this admirable phrase of M. Renan:¹ "The world is so weak of mind that the purest thing, to succeed, requires the cooperation of an impure agent." As for Bojidar, he will repay me with gossip against me... In sum I shall be good because, far from costing me effort, it is rather agreeable to me... There is therefore not even any merit in it. An original dinner — we are eight, and all women. For that matter we almost always have more women than men — when there are four women in a family, the moment one or two visitors arrive! This evening: Mother Tchoumakoff and her turkey Léonie; Mme Basilewsky and a friend whose name I do not know. Mme Basilewsky comes from St. Petersburg and is going to Nice. She is a cousin of Princess Souvorova, of Mme Doubelt, etc. It is a world that is somewhat... fast, but respectable — arrange that however you will.