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[image: seal, Weld Club Perth W.A.]

30th Nov. 1924

My dear Mr. Buchan

Just a word of thanks in passing for your The
Three Hostages. I picked it up at the Railway Station the other day as
the only one that I could depend upon for thrills properly controlled. I was
not disappointed. Your human stag-hunt rather took it out of me, for there
you deal with a phase of life quite beyond me. But you triumphed even
there for I had to see the end of Medina. Mary with cold fury and her little
green bottle seemed to me a little break in the general atmosphere, but even this
you redeem when you reach the Eau-de-Cologne. A capital yarn.
How you keep up your 39-steps-level all the time puzzles me, but like so
many others I am very grateful. It would have warmed your heart to
hear the warm words of praise our old friend W.R. Nicoll used to lavish
on your work in the privacy of his den. And in this I aided and abetted him.

Fortunately I have no permanent address for a reply, even if you
were to think of such an unnecessary bit of work.

With congratulations and best wishes

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Most Sincerely Yours,

John Adams