38、February 14,1952

        MARKS & CO., Booksellers
         84, Charing Cross Road
             London, W.C. 2

                        14th February, 1952

Miss Helene Hanff
14 East 95th Street
New York 28, New York
U.S.A.
    
Dear Helene,

    I quite agree it is time we dropped the
“Miss” when writing to you. I am not really
so stand-offish as you may have been led to
believe,  but  as copies of letters I have
written to you go into the office files the
formal address seemed more appropriate.
But as this letter has nothing to do with
books, there will be no copy.
    We are quite at a loss to know how you
managed the nylons which appeared this noon
as if by magic.  All I can tell you is that
when I came back from lunch they were on my
desk with a note reading:“From Helene Hanff.”
No  one  seems  to  know  how or when they
arrived.  The girls are very thrilled and I
believe  they  are planning to write to you
themselves.
    I am sorry to say that our friend Mr.
George Martin who has been so ill for some
time passed away in hospital last week.
He  was  with  the  firm a great number of
years, so with that loss and the King dying
so  suddenly  as  well,  we  are  rather a
mournful crowd at the moment.
    I don’t see how we can ever repay you
for your many kind gifts. All I can say is,
if  you  ever  decide  to make the trip to
England, there will be a bed for you at 37
Oakfield Court for as long as you care to
stay.

              With best wishes from us all,
              Frank Doel

注释：
stand-offish 冷漠的；冷淡的；疏远的