Explore "The Sea Mystery" by Freeman Wills Crofts on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The letter was written on a single sheet of cream-laid, court-sized paper and bore the legend "Euston Hotel, London. NW1. " in blue type on its right corner. It was typed in black, and French could see that the machine used was not new and that some of the letters were defective and out of place. It was signed "James S. Stephenson" in a hand which French instinctively felt was disguised, with blue-black ink apparently of the fountain-pen type. It read:
12 August. / Messrs. The Veda Office Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., / Ashburton, / South Devon. / Dear Sirs, I should be obliged if you would kindly forward to Mr. James S. Stephenson, Great Western Railway Goods Station, Morriston Road, Swansea, marked "To be kept till called for," one of your patent Veda electric duplicators, No. 3, to take brief size. The motor to be wound for 220 volts DC and to have a flexible cord to plug into the main. / Please have the machine delivered at Swansea not later than 19th inst., as I wish to ship it from there on the following day. / I enclose herewith money order value £62 10s. 0d., the price, less discount, as given in your catalogue. Please advise receipt of money and despatch of duplicator to this hotel. / Yours faithfully, / James S. Stephenson.