Yours faithfully,

I expect you are getting a bit worried that we have not written to thank you for your parcels and are probably thinking that we are an ungrateful lot. The truth is that I have been chasing round the country in and out of various stately homes of England trying to buy a few books to fill up our sadly depleted stock. My wife was starting to call me the lodger who just went home for bed and breakfast, but of course when I arrived home with a nice piece of MEAT, to say nothing of dried eggs and ham, then she thought I was a fine fellow and all was forgiven. It is a long time since we saw so much meat all in one piece.

Dear Miss Hanff,

Frank Doel

We should like to express our appreciation in some way or other, so we are sending by Book Post today a little book which I hope you will like. I remember you asked me for a volume of Elizabethan love poems some time ago-well, this is the nearest l can get to it.

CARD ENCLOSED WITH ELIZABETHAN POETS:

To Helene Hanff,

With best wishes and grateful thanks for many kindnesses, from all at 84, Chacing Cross Road, London.

For MARKS & CO.

April,1951.