International studio (21.1903/1904(1904))

friends was to read aloud in his own inimitabie
fashion, and with running comments, his famous
pamphiet, the " Arrangement in Brown Paper and
Vinegar," as one of his critics, rnore witty than the
rest, has called it; and in this connection I may
say that one of my treasures was a copy of this said
pamphiet, in which he had written a graceful dedi-
cation with my name and a particuiariy elegant
"butterRy." Some years later, in an unguarded
moment, I ient that pam-
phiet, and have regretted
it ever since, for I lost my
treasure, and cannot say
how much I miss it. " If
this shouid meet the eye,"
as the oid advertisements
used to say — but no, I
cannot hope that the
"borrower" wiii have the
conscience to return it.
By-the-bye, I wonder
how many of Whistier's
" followers," admirers, or
critics, know the origin of
the famous butterRy, which
was, of course, neither
more nor iess than his
monogram treated fanci-
fuiiy, as he did everything,
but resuiting iogicaiiy and
reasonabiy front the simpie
Superposition of his initiais.
A triHing event took
piace one day, which had
an extraordinary sequel,
though Whistier himseif
did not learn it tiii years
afterwards. A respectabie
man of the neighbour-
hood—he got his iiving
chieRy by ntaking beads
for rosaries — being in
temporary want of cash
to buy his went to
Whistier's iodgings and
offered to seii him a small
piece of oid embroidery,
apparentiy cut out of
some ecclesiastical vest-
ment. He wouid not Rx a
price, and asked for an
öfter. Whistler offered ten
francs, which wouid have
been, I shouid say, a fair

price. I found out afterwards that the man had
oniy hoped to get about three francs, and wouid
have been satisßed; so he at once suspected that
the vaiue rnight be even more than the öfter, and
refused to seii. I don't know how he got his
dinner that day, but he kept his embroidery, and
then commenced the curious part of the story.
He began showing the embroidery about aii over
the piace, with extravagant demands, and, of course,


A NUDE STUDY uv j. McNEILL WHISTLER
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