3 Jan. 1890
I was pleasantly surprised by your letter,
1 for after receiving a line from
Mr Peyron2 I didn’t dare hope that it would be possible for you to write, and I won’t hide from you that it grieved me very much. It’s curious that this has taken hold of you again, precisely a year after the first attack, and it proves that you must remain on your guard. So if you know that it’s dangerous
1v:2 at times to have paints near you, why not set them aside for a while by making drawings?
3 Like the other times, this crisis may be followed by another, although much less violent. I think that at such moments you’ll do better not to want to work with colour. In a while from now nothing will prevent you from starting again.
As regards the consignment for Brussels, there’s a misunderstanding. In reading my letter to you,
4 good
Doctor Peyron made a mistake. The paintings were ready in time and are leaving today. What I was asking you was if you wanted to add a few
1v:3 drawings to them. To return again to what I was saying to you, if you didn’t work with colour for a while, nothing will prevent you from doing drawings.
Wil is with us since yesterday evening,
5 she looks well and brings good news from home, your letter gave
Mother great pleasure.
6 I have no news of
Gauguin. He’s fortunate to have
De Haan with him, for it’s he who pays everything for his upkeep and his paint, but I don’t know if he’ll be able to continue forever. I hope that you’re already much better and that the illness won’t return. Warm regards from
Jo and from
Wil. Be of good heart, and look after yourself.
