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BEAUTIFUL AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED BY A STAR ADDRESSED TO JEAN MARAIS.

Alone after Jean Marais was mobilised in 1939, Jean Cocteau was welcomed aboard their barge by the actress Yvonne de Bray and her companion Violette Morris. He set about writing Sacred monstersin which Yvonne de Bray played the role of Esther. First performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens directed by Albert Willemet on 17 February 1940, the play was revived at the same theatre in April 1940, opening with a short play, Le Bel indifférentwritten for Édith Piaf, whom Cocteau had just met at the music publisher Raoul Breton.

"My Jeannot, 

My eye (and the other one that got caught) is better, but it's still sticking and the underside is still bruised. I wonder what could have happened to me. It's being bandaged and I hope this ridiculous nightmare will come to an end. Yesterday Yvonne De Bray had been drinking and it was sinister. Luckily I wasn't there. This evening there was a beautiful room and Yvonne was admirable. She realised and wanted to forget yesterday's drama (she made up for it towards the end). Villeneuve is afraid of that. I think that's one of the reasons behind his new project with Breton. I'm delighted with this project because your place is in it and we can put you in the number at any time. Tomorrow we'll all have dinner together and decide. Because it's going to be hard to put the monsters in another theatre without Piaf. I'll tell you all about it on Sunday. I've asked Henry to find out about the trains and we'll hire a car from Roy. What a joy to see you and to tell you a thousand things in person that I can't write to you. 
My angel, be happy, cheerful, calm, certain of the future. 
I love you so much. "