CHER JOJI Stephen McCarthy Cher Joji, I was very happy to get your letter of the 30th and to know that everyone had arrived safely. I hope that the journey was not too rough, and I hope that everyone has recovered by now, especially Kiki. Please tell her from me that she needs to take care of herself, even if by the time you read this she is probably running around like her old self. And do not worry yourself over that small chest. I am sure that there is nothing of very much worth in there, and whatever is in there can be replaced very easily. Mostly things here are fine, except for something I’ll tell you about later. Maman is feeling better today, but last week she was the worst I have seen her. You know her better, of course, and perhaps it was normal, but I had trouble consoling her. She would not get out of bed, and when she did she just lay on the chaise longue and looked out of the windows. I can hear her walking about as I write this, so hopefully she is still fit by the time you are reading this. Old Fozeur is still as good as can be expected, though I seem to feel him getting slower bit by bit every day. He needs help from little Alcée now to push the full barrow, but he can still do the watering and trimming on his own. He is still very nice to me; I think he would still like to spoil me as he must
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have when I was young. He should take care of Alcée more, teach him about more than cultivating gardens, but it is not very bad that he does not at the moment; I try to play with him, and I think that he likes me as much as Old Fozeur. After all, he is a child; he needs to play. Marianne is still trying to get leave to see her people in Margaux, but Maman is not letting her. I do feel sorry for Marianne, because she hasn’t seen her people for a while now – and I hear that her father is not doing too well either – but she shouldn’t press Maman so. She knows how Maman gets, and that Maman will not change her mind in a hurry, and that asking her every day will only make her more resolute. Thankfully Marianne has not asked in the last few days. I thought Maman would start shouting the last time. She is good, Marianne, as you know, but still, sometimes I do feel it would be better for everyone if she could think a bit more (is it cruel of me to say that, dear?). The rain is definitely coming. The clouds have gotten thicker for the past week or two now, and we got our first bit of thunder a day or so ago. I was just going downstairs, and everyone was coming in, Old Fozeur, Alcée, Marianne with the râgout (I have taken to having them all at the table for meals – I hope you do not mind? It is