Wednesday, 6 August 1884

So these ladies went to see Bastien, who was anxious and asking whether something had happened, whether we had forgotten him, whether we were angry... — and in fact Mme Bastien-Lepage was about to come to the house when these ladies arrived. He deigned to say that it had been a very long time since we had come to see him... “Ah! No doubt it is not amusing to visit me.”
And as they consoled him, saying that he would soon be well and that nothing would remain of this illness, not even the memory —
— Yes, he said, I shall forget the illness — but what I shall never forget is your kindness, your attentions. You have been so good to me, so kind — that is unforgettable!
So much so that Maman, my aunt and Dina all but burst into tears of emotion.
He was so weak that every now and then they splashed eau de Cologne on him, for he kept fainting.