Matters are getting worse between Petherton and myself; in fact if any
friendship had ever existed between us I am afraid one would say that we
are now in a state of complete estrangement, resulting from the invasion
of my premises by his parrot, and the ensuing correspondence. My opening
gambit was as follows:--
DEAR MR. PETHERTON,--My immediate object in addressing you is to ask
whether by any chance you have lost a parrot, because a bird of that
species flew through an open bedroom window of my house this morning
without invitation or encouragement from us.
I am inclined to think that the bird is yours, but have nothing but what
I might term the synthetic process of reasoning for arriving at this
conclusion. If you have lost anything of a parroty nature, and will
write me a description of it, I will see whether it tallies with the
bird in whose possession we are. I describe the situation in this way
because it more truly expresses it than the converse would do.
Yours faithfully,