He can't do this to me! Just disappear like that! It is the height of insensitive selfishness. I have always relied on him to say something flattering about my own deathless prose. Time was when a gentleman's word was his bond but alas ..... It's my fault really .... I should have insisted on having it in writing ....

I mean just knocking the reader numbers up on one's own is terribly time consuming and is nowhere near as effective, not to say gratifying, as a well turned, genuine third party, complimentary comment. And it is not as if I didn't fulfil my part of the bargain .... I mean I know other more pressing matters have weighed heavily upon me of late but my offer to keep him informed upon any new French regulations that might materially affect his chances of flying the Union Jack from his loo window still stands. Or did till now! Anyway it is not my fault that he hasn't a house there yet!

So I do trust that this rather ill-considered, rather precipitous, decision of his will be reversed.

I would urge you Lady Eleanor as one who might loosely be described as a friend of his, perhaps indeed his only friend in view of his present action, to use your good offices to instil in him some shred of a sense of responsibility in this matter. Tell him that there is no call for any excessive grovelling apology, however much such may be merited. A simple recognition that he is in the wrong, now recognises the error of his ways, and will rectify the situation, will suffice.

Yours,

Fleurie