Tag: englishmen, museum, theft, thief, tragedy

The ring which you are holding, my friend, is identical to that one. I had it cut according to the model of the king’s ring, and damascened in Spain. The original is still in the Escorial; it would have been pleasant to steal it, for I easily acquire the instincts of a thief when I am in a museum, and I always find objects which have a history – especially a tragic history – uniquely attractive. I am not an Englishman for nothing – but that which is easily enough accomplished in France is not at all practical in Spain: the museums there are very secure.