Dear Professor Finkelstein,

I regret to inform you that I will not be attending your upcoming series of lectures, as I am departing at once for other lands. Regrettably, I cannot leave my bed, so I am unable to see whether the horrible monster has returned to the window outside your bedroom. I only hope you are safe, and I remain

Sincerely Yours,
Cornelius Watson

My Dear Cornelius,

I am unable to determine from your much-appreciated correspondence whether you are in fact bedridden, or simply cannot bear to leave your bed behind. In either case, I will imagine you with fondness, wheeling across some uncharted plain in your trusty four-poster.

The monster has not only returned, but has provided invaluable help transcribing my notes. His grasp of sentence-structure is impeccable, although I've never managed to teach him how to spell "hermeneutics".

All is well, and I wish you great fortune in your new endevour.

Your Faithful Friend,
Finkelstein

[kjh]