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replies for yourself. First, the People's Animal Welfare Society.'
    He handed the girl a sheet of good quality white paper headed by a logo of the initials PAWS formed into an animal footprint and an address in Mabledon Place, London WC1. The letter was word-processed.
    Dear Mr Thackeray,
    I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your letter in reference to the estate of the late Mrs Gwendoline Huby. I shall be in touch again after consulting the Society's legal advisers. Yours sincerely
    Andrew Goodenough (General Secretary)
    'Next CODRO, which is to say the Combined Operations Dependants' Relief Organization.'
    This was rather amateurly typed on pale blue paper heavily embossed with an address in Bournemouth.
My dear Mr Thackeray,
Thank you for the news of Mrs Huby's most generous bequest. I gather from what you say that it is most unlikely that Mrs Huby's son will be able to claim his inheritance but, alas, this will not help us all that much, as, by the very nature of things, the number of those who can claim relief from our Organization will have dwindled almost to non-existence by the year 2015. If, however, it were possible to effect an advance at the present time, however small, it could be put to very good use indeed.
I await your reply hopefully, Yours sincerely,
(Lady) Paula Webb (Hon. Treasurer)
'Finally Women for Empire,' said Thackeray.
This was handwritten in spindly writing, strong at first but failing towards the end, on pink writing paper with the address in Gothic script, Maldive Cottage, Ilkley, Yorkshire. Across the head of the sheet a rubber stamp had printed in purple ink Women for Empire.
Dear Sir,
I was much distressed to hear of Mrs Huby's death. She was an old and valued member of Women For Empire and I was touched that she should have remembered us in her will. I myself am not in the best of health. Happily I am fortunate enough to have a young and vigorous assistant in the onerous task of running the affairs of Women For Empire. She is Miss Sarah Brodsworth, who has been vested with full authority in this and all other WFE matters. I will pass your letter on to her and doubtless she will get in direct contact with you.
God save the Queen.
Sincerely yours,
Laetitia Falkingham (Founder and Perpetual President WFE)
'Well, Lexie,' said Thackeray when she finished the last letter. 'What do you think? You have the advantage of having spoken to two of the people concerned. What did you make of them, by the way?'
'Mr Goodenough was Scottish and sounded, well, sort of down-to-earth, businesslike.'
'And Miss Sarah Brodsworth?'
She hesitated, then said, 'Well, she was businesslike too. Youngish but hard, sort of aggressive, but it was just a voice and some people on the telephone . . .'
'No. I fear you may have heard all too accurately, Lexie,' said Thackeray. 'Silly old women and their unpleasant little organizations can attract some very dubious people when there's money involved. Well, that's the way the world wags, I'm afraid. Question is, what do you think will happen next?'
Lexie said, 'I don't rightly know, Mr Eden.'
'Come now! I have a better opinion of your intelligence. Why do you think I asked you to take Miss Dickinson's place?'
'I'm not sure,' she said ingenuously. 'To tell the truth, when you sent for me, I half thought, what with Great Aunt Gwen dying . . .'
She let the sentence fade and Thackeray burst out indignantly, 'My God, you didn't imagine I was going to sack you, did you?'
'Well, I thought, maybe, as I only got the job because of Aunt Gwen in the first place . . .'
A phenomenon often observed by Thackeray in his clients was the greater the guilt, the greater the indignation. It was a reaction he understood now, for there was no denying that without her great-aunt's influence, Lexie Huby would never have done for Messrs Thackeray etcetera. Not that she lacked qualifications, but she was awkward of manner, careless of appearance, spoke what few words she managed to get out with a strong