Yours faithfully,
F. Melrush.
We had no fear that Sploshington would know that Mydra and its king and its mouse were as apocryphal as Mrs. Harris; but his reply exceeded our wildest expectations. This is it:—
Dear Sir,—I am obliged by your letter, and am pleased to inform you that you have won your bet. The resemblance of the "H" to an "M" is not accidental, as I had the incident of the Mydra Mouse in my mind when giving my directions to the artist. It may perhaps be of further interest to you to know that on every 1st of April it is my intention to present every working-class family in this parish with three four-pound loaves, a Dutch cheese, and a gallon of six ale; and every child with a pink sugar-mouse.
Faithfully yours,
Walford Sploshington.
