2110-3-6-10

19th May 1919

HANS CRESCENT HOTEL. BELGRAVIA LONDON, S.W.1.

Dear Sir,

I have read with so much delight the latest volume of Richard Hannay's adventures, and find it such a refreshing voice in the Sahara of this year's fiction, that I am impelled to thank you most warmly for it, and to hope that the gallant General's modesty maybe so far overcome that he

will permit his Biographer to regale us with those even more splendid gestas which, although doubtless they cannot even be hinted at until the Peace has been signed, our matter of faith to at least one of his admirers. Perhaps Mrs (or is she now Lady?) Hannay's pride in her husband's achievements will overcome his natural reluctance.

And now, "may I not", as an American, suggest that the proof-reader take a little more pains with the conversation of Mr. John S. Blenkiron? He (or she) should be gently but

firmly informed that, whereas the past participle of the verb to get is, in American use, sometimes got and sometimes gotten, they represent different shades of meaning and are not interchangeable. Gotten is used where an Englishman would employ a different participle - such as acquired or became. "She's gotten used to it"; "The situation has gotten serious"; "He's gotten his wife a necklace" - are all quite normal locutions at home. But (p. 61) he's gotten the patience of Job . . . And he's gotten humouous too," implies to an American either that the British working-man has more [orders ?] recently acquired those admirable characteristics, than that they are natural to him, which is, I think, the author's meaning. Got is constantly used in America, where an Englishman might perhaps omit it entirely. In the following examples -- (p.251) "I've gotten a heap of things to say to say"; (pp. 263-4) "You English have gotten business men on the brain"; (p. 345) "I reckon you've gotten a strong hand, [Grof ?]"; (p. 346) "I've gotten something to say to you" ------ an American would use got in place of gotten; whereas an Englishman would very likely dispense altogether with the

participle. I hope, my dear Sir, that you will not have gotten angry with the foregoing comments. You see, when I finished "Mr Standfast" at 3:30 this morning, with the loss of some much needed beauty-sleep, I found I had got to make them. Is all forgiven & forgotten? (or should it be forgot?).

Yours faithfully,

H.W. Bell.

(N. B. for "Englishman" supra, passim, read "Briton", if preferred).