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-- OR -- Mr. Frankland, elderly legal enthusiast whom you can also find in his own digs at Lafter Hall, can also be seen in these previous issues of Electro-Graphic Monthly courtesy of his literary agent David Richardson: January
2004 . . .
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A
Letter From Mr. Frankland Lafter
Hall To Friends of The Dark Lantern League As you may recall, Dr Watson explained in his introductory letter how I came to write to him after the publication of "His Last Bow," but he glossed over (or perhaps was unaware of) my initial communication with the Strand Magazine which involved him. I reproduce it below so that you may, in fairness, see that there are some outstanding issues between us. I received no reply from Mr. Smith but did not pursue the matter further as I found that simply my mention --- unflattering and inaccurate though it was --- in his tale of our Dartmoor Hound – Sir Henry dislikes being reminded of it, so we refer to it that way --- surprisingly brought me some measure of local fame. Even the Fernworthy folk seemed more kindly disposed toward me, so I suppose I derived some benefit from it. Respectfully yours Mr Frankland
_________________________________ Lafter Hall Mr. H. Greenhough
Smith, Literary Editor Dear Mr Smith I write in protest against the gross misrepresentations of myself and my daughter which have been made in the latest episode of Dr. Watson's attempt to relate the events which transpired on Dartmoor some thirteen years ago. (I am aware that you are printing them under another person's name, but Dr. Watson's authorship is clear for all who have eyes to see.) I did not object to his initial description of me --- I fancy I can turn a phrase as well as the next man --- although we had only met the one time by then, and so his characterization was a bit in front of his knowledge. But what he has said in this episode is so much a distortion of the actual events, and is so much a slur upon my daughter, that I cannot let it pass in silence. It is true that at the time we were somewhat estranged, and as I learned later somewhat under the invidious influence of the rogue Stapleton (and I must confess I was myself somewhat taken in by the man's smooth talk and interest in the Moor). But his description of my daughter as having 'a coursness' in her appearance verges on the actionable, and you may be hearing from my soliciter if you publish any further slurs upon her. As to his accuracy as a reporter one has to laugh. The man apparently took my very ordinary terrestrial telescope for an astronomical one, and did not realize that there is a difference. I have an interest in astronomy, as any educated man in these times will have, but Dartmoor is a singularly bad location from which to observe the skies --- it rains a great deal here -- and I have had to be content with reading about other people's observations, rather than making my own. I did as it happens win two lawsuits that day he passed by, but had I known what he was going to write about my daughter I can assure you I would never have invited him into my house to share a glass of wine --- and we only shared the one --- his implication that I wished to down the bottle with him is quite false, as are the scurrilous remarks about the local police that he attributes to me. I suspect that these derive from his own experience with them, for he was seen here as something of a busybody, forever poking his nose into things --- not that there was not reason to inquire, but really, one would have thought he had been sent from God himself for the airs he gave himself. I cannot, of course, prevent you from publishing more of this man's tripe --- it sounds like he is going to make a whole book of our local tragedy --- but I wish to express in the strongest terms the total misrepresentation of the characters of myself and my daughter which are given in it. I am Mr. Frankland |
