Kjære Höst og frùe!

Tak for Eders breve. Det gjör 

mig ondt at I skal hjemsöges af syg-

dom – jeg veed hvorledes det er. Jeg blev

ogsaa værre igjen, straks efter jeg sidst

skrev – jeg var bleven saa svært bra – men

jeg skjönner nù, at det gaar sent – og saa

kan jeg aldrig være forsigtig, men forkjöler

mig straks jeg er i bedring.

I behöver aldeles ikke at höre efter

hos Johannessen angaaende det omtal-

te billede – det er sikkert kommen

til sin eiermand – det er blot Skagen,

som har glemt at opföre det paa listen

over tilbagebragte billeder – eieren selv

har intet sagt, – saa han har antagelig

faaet det tilbage. Fra Lùnd har jeg intet

hört – heller ikke fra Knùdsen, som 

det nù snart er forsent at fordre noget

hos, tænker jeg. Jeg er tænkt at gjöre

ham et forslag: Han laaner mig 

billederne og jeg maler to kopier af

dem – disse copier, skal han saa faa

for 100 kr. tilsammen eller kanske 

billigere (50 kr.) – saa faar jeg beholde

originalerne, – ja han kan gjerne faa

kopierne gratis bare jeg faar igjen origina-

lerne. Derved blir det ingen skam for

ham at levere billederne tilbage; thi

ingen, som ikke har stùderet billederne

grùndig vil kùnne se, at det er to nye

billeder, som er kommen isteden – og

skùlde dette end ske, saa kan han jo sige,

at jeg vilde forandre lidt paa billederne,

og at de derfor er ommalede o.s.v.

Hvis jeg nù skriver om dette til ham selv,

vil han gjerne tro, at jeg vil spille ham

et pùds, – nemlig faa billederne fra ham 

og saa give en glad dag i kopierne; – derfor

tror jeg, det vilde være heldigt, om jeg kùn-

de faa Dem Höst til at tale med ham

om forslaget og sige, at de to billeder

havde særlig værd for mig – og at jeg gjerne

malede to copier gratis for at faa dem 

igjen; – gaar han ikke ind paa dette,

henvender jeg mig til Bonnevi-Angel.

Jeg synes da, jeg har været rimelig med

ham. Angaaende de andre billeder 

skal I ikke gjöre Eder nogen ùmag med

at sælge noget for mig – hvis jeg troede 

et af dem kunde glæde Eder at have,

vilde jeg tilbyde Eder et, som De kùnde

like bedst – kanske den kolde vaarstem-

ning med nysne paa baggrùndsfjeldene – 

det er iallefald det bedste – ("samme

motiv som aqùarellen", siger De, – ja det

er de samme fjelde i baggrùnden, – men 

fra et ganske andet sted seet, og fjeldene 

er i maleriet helt naturalistisk behand-

let, medens aqùarellen blev malt om

natten efter et löst ùdkast og erindringen

– og er kùn en "nedskreven" stemning.)

Kjære frù Höst, tak, tusind tak for Deres

mange forespörgsler, om De skulde sende

mig noget – denne gang tror jeg – at jeg

skal faa lov at benytte mig deraf – jeg

vilde gjerne forsögt lidt extra god

cognak baade for min egen helbreds skyld

og for at lade en gammel barndoms-

kammerat pröve lidt deraf – han ligger

for döden her paa nabogaarden af tæring i

lùnger og mave og kan nù ikke fordöie 

vand engang – jeg besöger ham daglig og söger

at holde liv i ham med gamle minder. –

Vilde De nù være saa venlig at sende mig en 

rigtig god fl. kognak, vilde jeg være Dem me-

get taknemlig; – paa samlaget kan jeg ikke 

faa mindre parti end 6 fl. men privatfolk

maa vel have lov at sende en enkel flaske.

Penge for flasken skal jeg sende, saasnart jeg

faar vide prisen. Kùnde De faaet sendt den

i en liden kasse i posten var det bedst,

da min ven ikke har længe igjen. Undskyld

min frihed – og at jeg gjör Dem bryderi. Engel

hilser igjen. Deres hengivne Astrup

      Dear Höst and Mrs.!

Thank you for Your letter. It pains

me that You should be tormented by ill-

ness – I know all about that. I too

became worse again, right after I

wrote You last – I had been so well – but

understand now, that it takes time – and then

I can never be careful enough, but come down with a cold

the minute I am getting better.

You absolutely do not have to contact

Johannessen regarding the men-

tioned picture – I am sure it has arrived

to its proper owner – it is merely Skagen,

who has forgotten to include it on the list

of returned pictures – the owner himself

has not said a word, – so he has presumably

received it in return. From Lùnd I have heard

nothing – nor from Knùdsen, whom

it is soon too late to demand anything

from, I imagine. I have thought of making

a proposal to him; He lends me

the pictures and I paint two copies of

them – these copies, he shall then have

for 100 kroner for both or perhaps 

cheaper (50 kroner) – then I get to keep

the originals, – well he can even have

the copies for free if only I can have the origi-

nals back. In this way there will be no shame involved

in his returning the pictures; since

no one, who has not studied the pictures

painstakingly will be able to see, that two new

pictures, have replaced them – and

should this even occur, then he can say,

that I wished to adjust the pictures a bit,

and that they therefore are painted again etc.

If I write to him myself about this now,

he might easily think, that I will 

hoodwink him, – in other words get the pictures from him 

and then forget about the copies; – I therefore 

believe it would be fortunate, if I might 

convince You Höst to speak to him

about the proposal saying, that the two pictures

have a special value for me – and that I would happily

paint two copies for free in order to get them

back; – if he does not agree to this,

I will turn to Bonnevi-Angel.

I do feel, that I have been reasonable towards 

him. As for the other pictures

You should not exert Yourself in

selling anything for me – if I thought

it might please You to have one of them,

I would offer You one that You might

like best – perhaps the cold spring

atmosphere with new snow on the mountains in the background –

it is the best in any case – ("the same

motif as the watercolour", You say, – yes they

are the same mountains in the background, – but 

seen from quite a different perspective, and the mountains

in the painting are treated quite natural-

istically, while the watercolour was painted at

night from a loose draft and from memory

– and is merely a "recorded" atmosphere.)

Dear Mrs. Höst, thank you, thank you for Your

many inquiries, asking whether You should send

me anything – this time I think – I

will permit myself to accept your offer – I

would happily try a little extra good

cognac both for the sake of my own health 

and to allow an old childhood

friend a little taste of it – he is on

his deathbed here at the neighbouring farm from consumption of

the lungs and stomach and can no longer digest 

even water – I visit him daily and attempt to

to keep him alive with old memories. –

If You would be so kind as to send me a 

really good bottle of cognac, I would be ver-

y grateful to You; – at the state liquor store I cannot 

obtain an order of less than 6 bottles but private people

should be able to send a single bottle.

Money for the bottle I shall send, as soon as I

am informed of the price. If You could send it

in a little crate in the mail it would be best,

as my friend does not have long to live. Pardon

my taking liberty – and for troubling You. Engel

returns your greetings. Your devoted Astrup