My dearest Booke,
I have been very bad. I beg your pardon most sincerely for neglecting you. I have so much to tell you.
I have seen Mr. Dryden twice since he first came to call. He has now returned to London, where he is transacting some sort of business on behalf of his farm. Yes, he is a farmer in the area around Nottingham. My geography is dreadful, so I am not sure where exactly this is, but I believe it is not altogether very far from Rosemont. This makes sense, as he says he has some sort of family connection to the Durands.
However, he is not like any farmer I have ever met. He is educated. A gentleman. You would never know from his speech that he is from so far north, either. He said his family originally hails from Yorkshire. I saw how he spoke so pleasantly to Mrs. Clabbard,
