1887-12-13 to Jacques-Émile Blanche

Printed letter signed, Portraits of a Lifetime (1937), page 293, 384 words

[Edited for paragraph breaks, capitalization, spelling and punctuation.]

Freshcombe Lodge, Beeding, Sussex

[Tuesday] December 13th [1887]

My dear Blanche,

I am very grateful to you for your letter: A letter that makes you feel that you have a friend, using the word in the best and truest sense, is one of the greatest and one of the sweetest pleasures that life has for giving.

I did not write to you again about the book-cover because I did not wish to trouble you and because it was difficult and unpleasant to explain that the first was not suitable. Ah, if you had only done [for] me what you now propose: une jeune fille symbolique.

However if you are still in the same mood of mind send it; it is not yet too late — my book will not be published till January. I send you the rest of the book in proof. If you will read the last two pages you will see how well your idea of a figure symbolical of youth coincides with the text.

You say you rarely read English now, [but] you must read one book more — Marius the Epicurean, by Walter Pater, our greatest, our only great writer. This book is my idea of all that is beautiful and sweet. I will send it to you next time I go to London, I will do this without fail; you must see it.

I went to the exhibition in Suffolk Street the other day and looked out for you — apparently you sent nothing; how is this? Monet exhibits two beautiful and one indifferent picture. Whistler has certainly collected around him a lot of clever fellows.

I dare say Gervex will suit Bourget very well indeed — you know what my opinions are. Has this never occurred to you — that in illustrating a book it would be much more artistic to do something that was not in the text than to try to reproduce in line what the writer has done in words. The moment I am free I shall go to Paris, I long to see Paris and you.

Yours as ever

GEORGE MOORE

P.S. If you can let me have the book cover write and say so.