"I'm afraid," confessed Cai, more and more bewildered, "that my education was pretty badly neglected, 'specially in literature, though for some reason or another I'm not bad at spellin'. But, puttin' spellin' aside, that's just why I've come to you. I want you to help me with a letter, if you will." "Why, of course I will," instantly responded Mr Benny, pushing his translations of the 'Fasti' aside and producing from a drawer some sheets of fresh paper. "As a matter of business, you understand?" "If you insist; though it will be a pleasure, Captain Hocken, I assure you." "It's--it's a bit difficult," stammered Cai gratefully. "In fact, it's not an ordinary sort of letter at all." Mr Benny, patting his paper into a neat pad, smiled professionally. The letter might not be an ordinary sort of letter; but he had in old days listened some hundreds of times to this exordium. "It's--well, it's a proposal of marriage," said Cai desperately; and in despite of himself he started as he uttered the word. Mr Benny, having patted up the pad to his satisfaction, answered with a nod only, and dipped his pen in the inkpot. "I don't think you heard me," ventured Cai. "It's a proposal of marriage." "Fire away!" said Mr Benny. "Just dictate, of give me the main bearings, and I'll fix it up." "But look here--it's a proposal of marriage, I tell you!" "I've written scores and scores. . . . For yourself, is it?" This simple and indeed apparently necessary question hit Cai between wind and water. "I want it written in the first person, of course--if that's what you mean?" Again Mr Benny nodded, "I see," said he. "You're here on behalf of a friend, who is too bashful to come on his own account." "You may put it at that," agreed Cai, greatly relieved. "I told you the case was a bit out o' the common!" Mr Benny's smile was still strictly professional. "It's not outside of my experience, sir; so far, at any rate. May I take your friend to be of your own age, more or less?" Cai nodded. "You're pretty quick at guessin', I must say." "A trifle rusty, I fear, for want of practice. . . . But it will come back. . . Now for the lady. Spinster or widow?" "Does that matter?" "It helps, in a letter." "We'll put it, then, as she's a widow." "Age? . . . There, there! I'm not asking you to be definite, of course: but to give me a little general guidance. For instance, would she be about your friend's age? Or younger, shall we say?" "Younger." "Considerably?" "I don't see as you need lay stress on that." "You may be sure I shall not," said Mr Benny, jotting down "Younger, considerably" on his writing pad. "Moreover we can tone down or remove anything that strikes you as unhappily worded in our first draft. Trade, profession, or occupation, if any?" Seeing that Cai hesitated, "The more candid your friend is, between these four walls," added Mr Benny, extracting a hair from his pen, "the more persuasive we are likely to be."