He put his head in his hands, and thought a lot and then scribbled no end, and then tore it up, and finally produced the stupidest little commonplace letter you ever saw with simply nothing in it, saying how much she had profited by his lectures and rot of that kind. I was dreadfully disappointed, for I had always thought Barrett as clever as he could stick. He said it was an awful grind for him to be commonplace even for a moment, and that by rights I ought to have composed the letter, but that it was no more use expecting anything subtle from me than a Limerick from an archbishop. He proceeded to read it aloud. "But how is he to know it is the person who sent him the roses?" said Parker, "and how is he to answer if she does not give him an address? Hang it all. He ought to be able to answer. Give the poor devil a chance." "He shall be given every chance," said Barrett. "But don't you two prize idiots see that we can't give a real name and address because he would certainly go there?" "Not a bit of it. He's as lazy as a pig. He never goes anywhere. He says he hasn't time. He's been seccotined into his armchair for the last ten years." "I tell you he would go on all fours from here to Ely if he thought there was the chance of a woman looking at him when he got there." "Then how is he to answer?" said Parker, who always had to have everything explained to him. "I am just coming to that. I don't say anything in the note about the roses, you observe. I am far too maidenly. But I just add one tiny postscript: 'If you do not regard this little note as an unwarrantable intrusion, please wear one of my roses on Sunday morning at chapel, even if it is faded, as a sign that you have forgiven my presumption in writing these few lines.'" "That's not bad," said Parker suddenly. "Now," said Barrett, tossing the sheet over to him, "you copy that out in a fist that you can stick to, because it will be the first of a long correspondence." "We've not settled her name yet," I suggested. "Maud," said Barrett with decision. "What else could it be?" The letter was written on an unstamped sheet of paper, was carefully directed--not quite correctly. Barrett insisted on that, and posted it himself.