Excuse this short letter, and, with kind regards, believe us, our dear Pledge, your affectionate young friends, B.
Richardson, G.

Heathcote, A.D.

Coote.

Sunday afternoon.
This masterpiece of conciliatory firmness, which had cost the "Firm" an hour's painful labour to concoct, brought out the angry spots on Pledge's cheeks and forced some bad language from his lips.
The letter he had received from Mansfield a week ago had been nothing to this.

Mansfield and he were equals, and a reverse at Mansfield's hands was at least an ordinary misfortune of war.
But to be coolly flouted, and to have all the work of a term upset by three wretched youngsters, who called themselves his affectionate young friends, was a drop too much in the bucket of the "spider's" humiliation.
He stared at the letter in a stupid way, like one bewildered.