I Capture the Castle

by Dodie Smith

Her letter looks as if it had been written with a stick — she always uses a very thick, orange quill pen. There are six spelling mistakes. After the helpful cooking hints, she mentions the theatre first-night they went to and says the play was not “significant” — a word she has just taken up. Aubrey Fox-Cotton’s architecture is significant, but Leda Fox-Cotton’s photographs are not — Topaz doubts their ultimate motivation. Ultimate with two l’s. Dear Topaz! Her letter is exactly like her — three quarters practical kindness and one quarter spoof. I hope the spoof means she is feeling happier; there has been less and less of it since she has been worrying about father. It must be months since she played her lute or communed with nature.