Yours respectfully,
JANET CONSTABLE,
_p._ ELIZABETH FISHER.

In this case the _p._ stands for _per_, and means that Janet Constable
signs the letter _by_ or _through_ you. You may write _per_ in full, if
you like.

Sometimes you may have to write inquiring about the character of people
or their standing from a money point of view. In doing so, put the name
or names on a slip of paper and gum it at the foot of your letter, so
that it can be easily torn off. Your correspondent can then at once
destroy the slip, and should your letter or her reply afterwards be read
by other people, they will probably be none the wiser, for they will
only see in your letter an inquiry regarding the person or persons
"noted at foot," and in hers an answer about the person or persons
"about whom you inquire."

All enclosures sent in a letter should be mentioned in a note in the
left-hand bottom corner after signing one's name. Thus:--

Enclosed:
Postal Order, 10s. 6d.
Recipe for cooking rattlesnakes.
Pattern: the Tullochgorum mantle.

We have spoken about the clearness and brevity required in business
letters, but to the subject of style a few lines more may be devoted.
Business letters are of necessity dry and matter-of-fact, and in writing