Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/323

 Tell this correspondent I cannot afford to comply with his request. Hint indirectly that we regard the "private" post card as a specially odious and illegitimate missive.

Listen to this ungrateful man:

—You charge me 2s. for a book of stamps of the value of 1s. 11½d. I beg to enclose you a similar book of stamps issued in Switzerland with twenty-four stamps for twenty-four pence or the equivalent. Why not charge face value as in Switzerland, where the people are not so rich as in England?

Tell the correspondent I cannot afford it. Do not let out anything about our total profits on stationery.

They even complain of the newspaper rates. Hear this:

—I beg to enclose two newspaper wrappers, one from New Zealand on which was a penny stamp, and the other to New Zealand containing an illustrated paper of exactly the same weight, and for which I am charged 3½d. Why has a New Zealander to pay to England less than a third of the price I have to pay for a similar newspaper from England to Wellington (N.Z.)?

Inform this correspondent that I cannot see my way to make any alteration in the