I was delighted to learn from your letter to Pa and Ma that you plan to go to London on 4 Aug. and then to come on here from there.1 I’m again looking forward very much to your arrival and to finding out what you’ll think of the work that I’ve done since. The last things I did are a couple of rather large studies of ox-carts, a black ox2 and a red and white one.3
And have also been working again on the old tower in the fields in the evening; I’ve made a larger study of it than my previous ones — with the wheatfields around it.4
Rappard sent me back the little book by Vosmaer that belongs to you — I started to read it but — is it just me? — find it almighty boring and actually written in an academic, sermonizing tone. Perhaps you will too when you look at it again.51v:2
Have you read Sapho by Daudet? It’s very beautiful, and so vigorous, and so close to life6 that the female figure lives, breathes, and one can hear, literally hear the voice, and forgets that one is reading.7
You’ll also see a couple more new weavers when you come.8
Nature is certainly pure here — I’m still very pleased with the studio, too.
We must visit some farms and weavers together when you come.
Rappard’s plan is to come back again in October;9 he’s probably in Drenthe again now.
Well, I write in some haste because I’m hard at work. I work a good deal early in the morning or in the evening, and then sometimes everything is so inexpressibly beautiful.