DEAR ALEC,--Jolly glad to hear you're coming home. I beat
you after all, though. I suppose I was looking particularly
pivotal when I saw the D.O., because he let me through at
once.
Will you go back to the Governor's office?
Yours ever, GARRY NORTON.
DEAR GARRY,--Haven't the faintest; but before settling down
I'm going to have a week or two, either sailing or fishing, so
as to try to shed the army feeling, and I think you'd better
come with me. I've saved no end of shekels, and I'm going to
give old Cox a run for his money (the bit that's mine, I mean,
that he's been keeping for me).
If you can find a likely craft, mop her up for me, old bean,
and we'll have a hairy time somewhere on the S.W. coast.
Yours in haste, ALEC RIDLEY.
DEAR ALEC,--I wish you'd be less vague. What sort of a boat do
you want--schooner, yawl, cutter or spoonbill? A half-decker,
or the full five quires to the ream? Give me definite
instructions and I'll do my best to carry them out. I'm afraid
I can't get off, so you'll have to take someone else, or
incarnadine the seas by yourself.
Yours as ever, GARRY.
DEAR GARRY,--Sorry to hear you can't come. Any kind of a boat
that will go without bouncing too high will do, and if it
has a rudder, a couple of starboard tacks, bath and butler's
pantry so much the better. I mean to wash out the memory of
those nine months at Basra last year with the flies. Yours,
ALEC.
DEAR ALEC,--What you want, my lad, is a houseboat, and I doubt
whether you'll get one during this shortage of residential
property.
I should try fishing if I were you. In fact I have taken a bit
of water for you in Chamshire. I haven't seen it, but am told
it's very all right and only twenty pounds till the 10th of
June.
Yours ever, GARRY NORTON.
DEAR GARRY,--This is a top-hole place. To have got this water
for so little you 're absolutely the Senior Wangler.
You might send me some mayflies, old dear; about half a pint I
shall want, judging from the infernal number of bushes on the
river banks here. Mr. MILLS's bombs have put me right off my
cast and I can't do the old Shimmy shake either somehow. I can
hear the click of croquet balls in the Vicarage garden as I
write, so the hooping season has begun.
There's one other chap staying in the pub. Talks and dresses
like a War profiteer. Seems to be doing nothing but loafing
about at present.
Yours ever, ALEC.
_Postcard_.
Have ordered the mayflies and will send them soon as poss. G.
N.
DEAR GARRY,--Thanks for yours. Not so anxious about mayflies
now, but should be glad if you would send me a pound or two of
the best chocolates. Having good sport.
In haste for post,
Yours, ALEC.
DEAR ALEC,--I enclose a couple of pounds of extra special
chocolates, but didn't know they were included in the Angler's
Pharmacopoeia.
Glad you are having good sport and justifying my choice of
water.
Yours as usual, GARRY.
DEAR GARRY,--Thanks for chocs. The Vicar called the other day,
and I have caught several cups of tea on the recoil at the
Vicarage since. Miss Stevenson, his ewe-lamb, is A1, and
we have had some splendid sport together. We caught eleven
beauties yesterday; one was over 19-1/2 inches.
Post just going out.
Yours in haste, ALEC.
P.S.--Another couple of pounds of chocs would be useful.
DEAR ALEC,---Awfully glad to hear the fishing is so good. I
shall expect a brace of good long trout for breakfast one of
these days.
Yours, GARRY.
DEAR GARRY,--Who said anything about fish? I sub-let the water
(at a profit) to the War-profiteer three days after arriving.
Miss Stevenson, with a brace of bouncing terriers, is outside
whistling for me, so I must put the lid on.
Yours, ALEC.
DEAR ALEC,--What's the idea? You say you let the fishing a
fortnight ago; but last Wednesday you wrote about catching
eleven beauties, one over nineteen and a half inches long.
Some trout--what? But why the terriers? Yours in darkness,