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Headed notepaper, with engravings of printing works: D C Thomson & Co. Ltd., Newspaper Publishers, 'Weekly News', Dundee. Signed.
'Thanks for the first instalment of your Convict story which I have now been trhough. I am afraid I am not very taken with this. After the first chapter the characters and incidents do not ring true somehow, and then in the curtain it is too easily seen what is coming. I think the best way, if you agree, is to start on something fresh.
How would you like to write a story about a young girl who falls in love with a man whom she thinks is a hero, but is really a hard, cruel natured man. Someone who knows a serious thing or two that had happened in this man's past would threaten to ruin his position by broadcasting this information unless he gave up the girl. The young man would murder the man who was threatening him and after marrying he would get mysteruous letters of which his wife would be ignorant. One day the girsl would see into one of these letters and discover that her husband was a murderer. This might be the curtain. If you could think round a story of this nature and let me have a first instalment I would be pleased.
I have read 'Good Companions' and enjoyed it very much. It is a great piece of work from the point of view of characterization. I think I told you in my last letter though that I would like your next story for 'The Weekly News' to be one of the strong type.
I send you back the first instalment of the Convict story herewith.
With best wishes for a Merrry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Handwritten note: Please return this. HJA.

From: Shelly, Hadleigh, Suffolk. Signed.
'A man divorces his wife. Before the decree is made absolute she has a child (his child). Has this child any legal claim on his estate?
If he died intestate would the child inherit or benefit in any way from the estate?
If you can answer this without too much trouble it will help me in a story I am writing.'

Red ink annotations in response to the questions, signed by [E.C.]:
'Is it his? See other sheet.
Certainly if his child. There is no divorce a vinculo until the Decree Absolute has been pronounced. The Decree Nisi is a Decree unless the parties come together again as in the view of the Church and State they should do so.
It would be quite possible for a child to be conceived just before divorce proceedings were started and if they moved very quickly (most unlikely) for the woman to be delivered of a child after the Decree Absolute which would be held [?] the child of the offended husband.' etc.