Ah, no, they are not bills, you mustn't look at those. (I didn't know they were there--I swear I didn't. I thought I had burnt them.) Of course I see now that she was quite right.... Yes, that was the very sweet one where she ... well, I knew even then that ... I mean I'm not complaining at all, we had a very jolly time.... Still, if it _had_ been a little different--if that last letter.... Well, I might by now have had a garden of my own in which to have buried all this rubbish. THE POST BAG The other day I received a letter from some very old friends of mine who live in Queen Victoria Street. _Memo from Messrs Robinson, Cigar Shippers_ MY DEAR SIR,--We have been very anxious at not having heard from you for nearly a year. We trust that you are in good health and that no illness or bereavement has kept you from writing to us. As you know, it is our one ambition to satisfy you in the matter of cigars, and your long silence on the subject has naturally made us apprehensive. Until we hear from you, however, we shall refuse to believe that the last lot you had from us were fatal. Write to us frankly on the subject. How did you like the cigars we sent you last Christmas? Were they brown enough? Did they smoke to a finish strongly? One third shipper, who went to Havana especially to select this lot for you, writes us that in this respect they were fit for an ambassador or (we may add) an actor manager. What is it, then, that you are keeping back from us? Perhaps you could not light them? If this was the case you should have written to us before, and we would either have sent you others of a more porous quality or forwarded you our special gimlet, with which you could have brought about the necessary draught. Lay bare your heart to us about these cigars. Do you mind the green spots? A connoisseur like yourself will, of course, understand that, though we guarantee that all the cigars sent out by us _can_ be smoked, yet the quality of the cigar must necessarily vary with the price. This being so, perhaps you would care to try a slightly higher-priced cigar this time. We have referred to our books and we see that last year we had the pleasure of sending you a box of our famous _Flor di Cabajo_ at 8s. 6d. the hundred. A nicer-coloured cigar is the _Blanco Capello_ at 9s. 6d.; but we are hoping this Christmas that you will see your way to giving our celebrated _Pompadoros_, at £5 the hundred, a trial. They have all the features of the _Cabajo_ which you approved, together with a breadth and charm of flavour of their own. May we send you a box of these? Our other special lines are: The _I am Coming_--a spirited young cigar at 7s. 6d. the hundred, of which we enclose a sample. The _Mañana_--prompt and impressive--10s. the hundred. (_Note.--This cigar has a band._) The _There and Back_--a good persevering cigar. Only 10s. 6d. Never comes undone.