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Elisina Tyler to Mildred Barnes Bliss, April 15, 1912

Paris.

April 15th 1912Monday.

My dear Mildred,

Royall came back very soon after you left, and brought back some proofs of snapshots of William. I enclose one which is pleasing us very much, and I am having another and better one of your godson enlarged—not to his natural size—(a shifting quantity!—) but to something nearer it than it is at present.

Royall also says: will you kindly let him know Mr. Clarence’sThis Clarence has not been identified. Christian name so that he may send you the letter of introduction for Potter?Possibly William C. Potter, a banker and later president of the Guaranty Trust Company in New York.

My mind is very full of all the subjects we touched upon to-day. I am deeply grieved by the suspicion that I may have distressed you or bored you. Whenever I talk to you I make enormous demands on your powers of intuition and understanding—and I am retrospectively appalled at my presumption. For instance, when you talked of Royall and your whilom fears for his ethics, what did I do but go and synthesize a view we both share and have explained and probed at length,—and give you the synthetic formula as a generalization! nothing could be less sound dialectically. What I meant was, that while refusing nothing in the way of an experience, even in the ebb-days he always kept his consciousness of the motive of actions unblurred; and this is a rare thing—as you will agree. I ought of course to have said “he is sound in every respect” or else demanded two hours of your time before consenting to make any answer at all.

Someday I hope we may find time to talk of everything. When you come back.Mildred Barnes Bliss left for a ten-day stay in America on April 20, 1912. On April 7, she sent her stepfather a coded cablegram which is preserved with the code translated in pencil. It reads: "As Easter greetings announce my hulpzaam [date of sailing] penniless [April 20] steamer France ketektrom [on a visit to] you for clorossilo [ten days]. Tell nobody except Warrens. Gegrut [particulars will follow by next mail]. All trunks and contents harzseife [have been received] intact. Love. Mildred." Blissiana files, William Henry Bliss correspondence.

I am going to send you a copy of this week’s Saturday with an articleRoyall Tyler, “The New Far-Eastern Rooms in the Louvre,” Saturday Review, April 13, 1912. by Royall in it; as you may care to see it.

I hope you will have a safe and comfortable journey and that you will come back soon. It does me good to see you, I assure you.

My kindest remembrance and love to you both and a little kiss from sleepy William.

Yours always truly

Elisina

Royall has a suspicion that “Mr. Clarence” may be Mr. Clarence _______; or Mr. _______ ClarenceThis Clarence has not been identified. and is it?

 
Associated Places: Paris (France)
Associated Things: Saturday Review