"In the Duke's letter of the 20th of Aug. he writes--'I have found in one of my writing cases the letter which I had omitted to send on the day before yesterday. I rejoice to learn that your health improves so much at Tunbridge Wells.' "The Duke's next letter is directed to me at Brighton wherein he writes 'My Knee continues to improve but it has not yet all its strength and elasticity, but I hope that it will soon. I am much obliged to you for enquiring about it.' "Judging by the Duke's next letter, dated Aug. 22nd, I must have requested him to send me the letter he had placed in one of his writing cases, for he replies--'You will have seen that I had destroyed the letter not sent.' "In the Duke's next, dated Aug. 31st, the Duke writes--'I received in due course a letter which you were so kind as to write to me on nineteen sides of paper under three covers.'" One ceases to wonder at the slowness of the poor man's recovery, under such circumstances as these. "Upon the 6th of September a letter arrived from the Duke in which he again refers to his accident as follows--'I am getting better every day--but slowly, as is the case with recovery from such accidents. I hope however to recover entirely and to be quite well.'" Another cause of offence had been found by Miss J. The Duke's letter explains it:-- WALMER CASTLE, Sept. 17, 1836. MY DEAR MISS J.,--I was much surprized at not hearing from you; and I am still more surprized now that I learn the Cause of your Silence. Begging Your Pardon you don't repeat accurately what I wrote respecting Your Hand writing; and you have consequently misrepresented my Meaning; which was however not worth attending to. I totally forgot that your Mind is occupied with affairs of more Importance; the Hand writing in which you convey your thoughts to others, is a matter of but little Importance to you; and that at all events you are seldom in a disposition to allow any body to complain; much less to find fault with you. Accordingly I beg your Pardon for having ventured to tell you that I experienced great Difficulty in reading your Hand writing. I hope that you will not give yourself the trouble of writing to me; if it should be at all irksome or inconvenient to you. Believe me Ever Yours most faithfully WELLINGTON. The unmistakable irony of the above seems to have been quite thrown away upon Miss J., for she placidly remarks:-- "I am well aware that the poor Duke was justified in finding fault with my writing, through finding my pen could not keep pace with my feelings, more especially as I generally sent off whatever I wrote just as it was _thus_ written.