18 November

18 November 1920

Villa Isola Bella Menton, France

I have your letter saying you gave that picture to the press. Now I must ask you to see that it is destroyed at once. And in future please do not act on my behalf without sending me a wire. Nothing is so urgent it cannot wait twenty-four hours. No earthly publicity is worth such a price. I am more or less helpless over here, as you know. But that has got to be changed. I beg you not to publish one single solitary thing that I may have left in England.
And I want to put my work and publicity into the hands of an agent with whom I shall communicate direct. Is Pinker the best man? I shall be doing a great deal of work from now on, and I want to free myself from journalism, which I hate, at the first possible moment. At the same time I must have money. If you do not understand my feelings about that photograph - could you do this? Could you ACT as if you did?
And why on earth did you not go direct to Constable at once. Why write to Sadler's wife? That's not business, surely. I am so bitterly ashamed of this affair that I'd pay for bookmarkers with my new photograph.
You do not understand. I cannot make you. But at least you did know - tho' you may have forgotten - that I hated this thing. And you did possess other photographs of mine that you knew I did not mind.
I can't write to you personally, tonight. The other face gets in the way! Is that the person you've been writing to for the last four years? [. . .]
Until I do get an agent - you will act for me? Im sending another story tonight. And Id be immensely grateful if you'd suggest what I ought to do with it. [Letter to J. M. Murry in Collected Letters, 1920]