Scripto | Transcribe Page

The lawyer therefore could quite reasonably argue that here was the chance to realize on the picture, which he had only taken as a favor to his brothers and sisters, and thus come into his real inheritance — the money — and a considerable amount besides. The upshot of it was that he sold me the picture, and, as you know, for considerably more than 1,000,000 francs, and it may amuse you to hear that a tremendous lawsuit is going on at the present moment between Elias and his family, in which the brothers and sisters are trying to get from him their share of the extra amount of money about the million! The history of the picture has been dealt with? fully by Mr. Beruete in his pamphlet, and I have nothing to add. You also have the letter written by Beruete + me when actually in the presence of the picture at Biarritz, when I submitted it to him, but I thought that the story of how the picture ever came to be sold would interest you. I only ask you to keep these facts to your own ears, and those of your personal friends, as some very distinguished people were mixed up in the card scandal, and such an incident is naturally best forgotten -