blundered on to one of them and been very badly injured. This as you will realize may be a serious matter for you. My instructions, which you acknowledged, were that I was to be informed directly the holes had been dug, but you neither did this nor replied to subsequent letters and telegram asking for information. Your omission to protect the holes is almost criminal. Children have been seen in the field and the pits are now half filled with water which will have to be pumped out before the bottoms can be seen. Your conduct of this matter in not completing the work and leaving me in ignorance of what was being done is inexcusable.
Yours faithfully,
The probable explanation of this tactless letter is that Spinlove feels he is in some degree responsible and seeks to defend himself by making clear to Reaker and Smith that he holds them liable. What he has, in fact, done is to warn those gentlemen and arm them against him: he has told them his side of the case. If he had merely complained that the holes were left uncovered and that he had not been notified, the ingenious Smith, always hoping for further esteemed favours, would probably have expressed regret for the omission and pleaded a misunderstanding and thus have admitted liability.
BRASH TO SPINLOVE
Dear Mr. Spinlove,17.4.24.
I note that the holes have now been rendered secure. I apprehend, however, that it is due to myself for me to say that your extreme promptness in getting the covers fitted leaves me at a loss to comprehend why they have been supplied only after the harm is done, instead of previously. I do not consider that it was incumbent on me to direct your attention to this matter in anticipation. I extremely regret to intimate that I have a very bad account of the mare from the veterinary surgeon who is attending her.
Yours truly,
SPINLOVE TO BRASH
Dear Sir Leslie Brash,19.4.24.
I am very sorry you have so bad an account of your mare. It was of course the clear duty of the builder who dug the holes to protect them, and in employing for this work a firm, Messrs. Reaker and Smith, which had been especially recommended by you as reliable people, I felt that they might be trusted and that your interests would be protected. I did not know that the mare was in the field when the holes were dug so that the need for covering them was perhaps not obvious.
Yours sincerely,
Spinlove appears to be losing his head.
REAKER & SMITH TO SPINLOVE
Sir,19.4.24.
Yours to hand and re same beg to state no instructions to cover holes were given and we do work we are asked and not work we are not asked and not paid for doing or where would we be, and a nice thing to be told by an architect I must say. I am about attending to my work and no time to waste writing letters and telegrams. I said I would do the job as soon as ever the man cleared up and I done what I said and no one has any cause to complain, and if anyone goes and does a silly thing like putting a horse in a field with a lot of pit-falls to catch him well thats no fault of mine but the fault of them that ordered the pit-falls and put the horse in on top of them and if you are not satisfied I respectfully ask you to settle my account (enclo.) and we will say no more about it.
Soliciting your further esteemed favours,
Yours to oblige,
Spinlove probably considers this letter extremely rude, and is much annoyed; but in point of fact the writer has no intention of being offensive or even disrespectful. He feels, reasonably enough, that he is being got at: he has no arts to hide his indignation and simply states his views. Spinlove invited such a letter and also an inflated bill. It is wise, particularly in dealing with a firm such as Reaker and Smith, to avoid rupture until the account has been delivered. Spinlove shows himself altogether too stiff in the neck in his reply. The bald address “Sirs” instead of “Dear Sirs,” is inappropriate unless used in formal official correspondence on which the
Yours faithfully,
The probable explanation of this tactless letter is that Spinlove feels he is in some degree responsible and seeks to defend himself by making clear to Reaker and Smith that he holds them liable. What he has, in fact, done is to warn those gentlemen and arm them against him: he has told them his side of the case. If he had merely complained that the holes were left uncovered and that he had not been notified, the ingenious Smith, always hoping for further esteemed favours, would probably have expressed regret for the omission and pleaded a misunderstanding and thus have admitted liability.
BRASH TO SPINLOVE
Dear Mr. Spinlove,17.4.24.
I note that the holes have now been rendered secure. I apprehend, however, that it is due to myself for me to say that your extreme promptness in getting the covers fitted leaves me at a loss to comprehend why they have been supplied only after the harm is done, instead of previously. I do not consider that it was incumbent on me to direct your attention to this matter in anticipation. I extremely regret to intimate that I have a very bad account of the mare from the veterinary surgeon who is attending her.
Yours truly,
SPINLOVE TO BRASH
Dear Sir Leslie Brash,19.4.24.
I am very sorry you have so bad an account of your mare. It was of course the clear duty of the builder who dug the holes to protect them, and in employing for this work a firm, Messrs. Reaker and Smith, which had been especially recommended by you as reliable people, I felt that they might be trusted and that your interests would be protected. I did not know that the mare was in the field when the holes were dug so that the need for covering them was perhaps not obvious.
Yours sincerely,
Spinlove appears to be losing his head.
REAKER & SMITH TO SPINLOVE
Sir,19.4.24.
Yours to hand and re same beg to state no instructions to cover holes were given and we do work we are asked and not work we are not asked and not paid for doing or where would we be, and a nice thing to be told by an architect I must say. I am about attending to my work and no time to waste writing letters and telegrams. I said I would do the job as soon as ever the man cleared up and I done what I said and no one has any cause to complain, and if anyone goes and does a silly thing like putting a horse in a field with a lot of pit-falls to catch him well thats no fault of mine but the fault of them that ordered the pit-falls and put the horse in on top of them and if you are not satisfied I respectfully ask you to settle my account (enclo.) and we will say no more about it.
Soliciting your further esteemed favours,
Yours to oblige,
Spinlove probably considers this letter extremely rude, and is much annoyed; but in point of fact the writer has no intention of being offensive or even disrespectful. He feels, reasonably enough, that he is being got at: he has no arts to hide his indignation and simply states his views. Spinlove invited such a letter and also an inflated bill. It is wise, particularly in dealing with a firm such as Reaker and Smith, to avoid rupture until the account has been delivered. Spinlove shows himself altogether too stiff in the neck in his reply. The bald address “Sirs” instead of “Dear Sirs,” is inappropriate unless used in formal official correspondence on which the
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