I said it was absurdly stiff." "Then why write it ?" "It wasn't my own composition." "Whose then?
Your aunt's ?" "Oh, no.

It was a person of the name of Slattery." "Goodness! Who is he ?" "I knew it would come out, I felt that it would.

You've heard of Slattery the author ?" "Never." "He is wonderful at expressing himself.

He wrote a book called `The Secret Solved; or, Letter-writing Made Easy.' It gives you models of all sorts of letters." Ida burst out laughing.

"So you actually copied one." "It was to invite a young lady to a picnic, but I set to work and soon got it changed so that it would do very well.