appears interested in it and wants to buy it. So please let me
have it back as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

THEOPHILUS B. PIPER-CARY.

P.S.--By the way, there's a cow, I remember, in the background; a
red one. Not a red background; a red cow.

This was the answer I received:--

DEAR SIR,--In reply to yours of the 13th inst., we remember your
visit, but cannot trace having such a picture as you describe in
our possession at present. We believe you dealt with our Mr. James
Langford, who joined up in May, 1915, and is not yet demobilised.
He is in Egypt at the moment, we understand, and we are afraid it
would take some time to get into communication with him.

We shall be glad if under the circumstances you will allow the
matter to rest until his return.

In any case we are afraid we cannot hold ourselves responsible for
the picture, unless you can produce a receipt from us proving that
it reached us.

We are, Yours obediently,

_pp_. THE FERNDALE GALLERY.