Ever yours,
HARRY FORDYCE.


Petherton was getting very worked-up, to judge from his reply:--

SIR,--I disapprove of your levity. This is a serious matter to me.
On your own showing George's behaviour is scandalous, and although I
should scarcely expect you to look at the matter in its proper light
I should have thought that even you would have interfered now that
matters have reached such a state. Your attitude is intolerable.

I am well able to protect the Government's secrets, and my movements
could be of little interest even to you, but I do not think the
society of your maids desirable for a young man like George. I
strongly suspect that they are having a bad influence over him. He is
becoming careless in his work.

I accidentally overheard him say, in conversation with the grocer's
man, that he was--to use his own expression--walking out with a Miss
Parsons. Is this either your parlour-maid or housemaid? or is it some
third person?

Yours faithfully,
FREDERICK PETHERTON.


DEAR OLD CHAP (I replied),--Thank you for your cheering letter. I
hope neither of us will say or do anything that would terminate this
exchange of letters, which is keeping me from dwelling too much on the