Yvette to Henri.

Belmont 7 September

My love, despite Zouzou and the beautiful countryside the days drag by slowly without you. It is Sunday, the worst day of the week for you. And I am thinking about you so much, darling.  Yesterday I slept in that beautiful rustic room and I put on your pyjamas, our silk pyjamas, and I looked for you this morning as I opened my eyes, overwhelmed at not seeing you. […. More love, more languish, more tender love] Zouzou never gets off his skates. I told him that you were coming to Paris and that we would all three live together; he looked at me smiling and said, “You are going to be married eh?”  I said, quite simply, yes. He is very pleased.  I told him that he would surely have a baby now. He insists that it be a girl.  The two Henris, the big and the little, are as thick as thieves! Wait a little until there are Helene or Yves or Jules, you will see then!

Helene is very noble. Philosophy is stronger than her other feelings and she becomes accustomed with serenity it seems to a union against which she can do nothing. She has said nothing annoying to me and when I have reproached her with her coolness and selfishness, she laughed saying “Now I baisse fraisllon” I think everything will be all right. She will spend the winter with Jacqueline and Grandmother, perhaps at Neuilly in a lovely retirement house for intellectuals.  I have invited her to come to our place. She is delighted, but the apartment remains a difficult problem. I return to Paris next week to go hunting. I regret leaving Zouzou again but I know that it is indispensable because I don’t know where to leave him, perhaps I could take him to my cousin’s? I will see.  I found him much grown and a little changed. I must certainly get his teeth fixed as soon as we arrive in Paris. […] Darling, if you knew, my love, how much I want to find our house and fix it up for your arrival. It has become an idee fixe.  And I would like you to spend some days here before beginning work and I would like to caress you and spoil you and embrace you; I would like us to be close to each other.

The baby seems to be going well and besides so do I.

See you soon, darling. Do write a little bit. Tell me, how is your bad cough, and your dear heart. I embrace you my love, very tenderly.

Your Yvette

The cost of living has gone up by 40% since my departure (June) and 40,000 is no longer opulent.

Everyone tells me I have to work if I want to buy coal (black market) and meat and milk (equally black market) or we wont have enough. Well, we’ll see. I wait for you and wont make any new decisions on that subject without you.