water. The art critics, filled with enthusiasm, declared the picture the most superb masterpiece of the century. Walter bought it for four hundred thousand francs, and took it away, thus cutting suddenly short a flow of public curiosity, and forcing the whole of Paris to speak of him in terms of envy, blame, or approbation. Then he had it announced in the papers that he would invite everyone known in Parisian society to view at his house some evening this triumph of the foreign master, in order that it might not be said that he had hidden away a work of art. His house would be open; let those who would, come. It would be enough to show at the door the letter of invitation.
This ran as follows: “Monsieur and Madame Walter beg of you to honor them with your company on December 30th, between 9 and 12 p.m. , to view the picture by Karl Marcowitch, Jesus Walking on the Waters , lit up by electric light.” Then, as a postscript, in small letters: “Dancing after midnight.” So those who wished to stay could, and out of these the Walters would recruit their future acquaintances. The others would view the picture, the mansion, and their owners with worldly curiosity, insolent and indifferent, and would then go away as they came. But Daddy Walter knew very well that they would return later on, as they had come to his Israelite brethren grown rich like himself. The first thing was that they should enter his house, all these titled paupers who were mentioned in the papers, and they would enter it to see the face of a man who had gained fifty millions in six weeks; they would enter it to see and note who else came there; they would also enter it because he had had the good taste and dexterity to summon them to admire a Christian picture at the home of a child of Israel. He seemed to say to them: “You see I have given five hundred thousand francs for the religious masterpiece of Marcowitch, Jesus Walking on the Waters . And this masterpiece will always remain before my eyes in the house of the Jew, Walter.”
In society there had been a great deal of talk over these invitations, which, after all, did not pledge one in any way. One could go there as one