served in you as much for your sake as mine.

"_Quite as much_, yes! For the anxiety I have . . . [word illegible]
[? suffered] these two years about your eleven lives is but ill
compensated by all these squalls between us two; which I declare I
excuse myself of raising. If, in this last case, you really had not
time to post me a line or two to say you were all safe, and that you
had done what I desired you to do; I am very sorry for having written
so sharply as I did to you: but I cannot _blame_ myself for the
mistake. No: this I will say: I am not apt to think too much of my
doings, and dealings with others. But, in my whole sixty years, I can
with a clear conscience say that I have dealt with _one man_ fairly,
kindly, and not ungenerously, for three good years. I may have made
mistakes; but I can say I have done _my_ best as conscientiously as he
can say he has done his. And I believe he _has_ done his best, though
he has also made mistakes; and I remain his sincerely,

"E. FG."

Mr. Bradbeer was a herring merchant, and his family is still prominent in
the fishing industry of Lowestoft. Posh's letter, to which the above is
a reply, must have been very characteristic of his race, to which secrecy
concerning their private affairs is a first nature. The mistrust of the
privacy of the "telegrams" may possibly have had some justification. Even
in these days there are East Anglian villages where the contents of
private telegrams are sometimes known to the village before the actual
information reaches the addressee. And in 1869 Lowestoft was not much
more than a village, and telegraphy was in its infancy. Possibly Posh
exaggerated the importance of secretiveness, and FitzGerald the security
of privacy. But apart from all questions of "the rights of the matter,"
what a letter it is! What a splendid justification for almost any
action. I fear, however the matter in dispute be looked at, Posh cannot
have the best of it in this case. He had fired up at an imaginary
slight, wrong, whatever he chose to think it, and if he has any excuse at
all, it is that, but for his unreasonableness, we should not have this
letter.

One would have thought that it might have given Posh pause if even he
felt disposed to show his independence again. But this "squall" between
these two curious partners was not destined to be the last. For the time
it blew over, and the mutual relation