It is with great regret that I must bid you farewell. I have already sent a letter to the Faraday Company resigning from their employ, but I cannot help feel that you deserve somewhat more of an explanation. I fear matters have grown somewhat too personal. You do recall, I have no doubt, the ramshackle house in the swamp from which we rescued dear Absalom, poor little Ada, and my darling Babbette? Oh, yes, my apologies - Babbette is what I have named the Engine we rescued from their grimy clutches. The poor thing was in terrible shape - the swamp is no place for delicate machinery, though it was clear Absalom had done what he could for her in his time there.
But I fear that is rather the crux of the matter. She IS a thing of considerable worth, and evidently they resented her liberation. This was first brought to my attention when a man came to speak to me, purportedly in response to some - as one might say - feelers I had sent out seeking advice in matters cryptographic, hoping I might find some aid for our conundrum with Mr. Nice's writings. The moment he was shown to my house I knew this was a ruse, however, for I recognized him immediately as the false Inspector we met at the house in the swamp! He introduced himself as Mr. Barton Hargrave, but I think we can be certain that name is as false as his moustache. I should perhaps clarify that he was indeed wearing a false moustache.
Rather more importantly, he attempted to blackmail me into returning Babbette to them! Evidently, once they found out who I am, they further surmised that some of my activities - such as slogging through swamps and engaging in heated gunfights - would prove rather scandalous if revealed to many in my social circles. This is true, but they had failed to account for two important details: the first being how little I care about a bit of scandal, and the second being that I simply will not abide blackmail. Realizing that by being somewhat circumspect about the details of my little hobbies, I had indeed placed myself in a position where such leverage might have weight, I bid him farewell and went immediately to my parents. I laid the matter out plainly, filling them in on many details which I had heretofor kept private. I will not say the conversation was a pleasant one, but it was certainly better than allowing myself to be drawn into the morass that would inevitably have followed had I ceded such ground to the likes of "Mr. Hargrave."
And it is well that we had the conversation, for not two nights later - having realized that I was not going to respond favorably to their social pressure - five men actually broke into our home! Fortunately, we were alert, and able to hold them at bay until the police arrived. I had to shoot one myself, though only in the arm. There were no fatalities, but it was quite terrifying, and had we been less prepared there quite likely would have been, and not, I fear, on the other side. As it is, the damage was largely confined to two windows, an irreplacable table commissioned by my grandfather, and the urn my mother cracked over one of their heads.
The next day we contacted "Mr. Hargrave" and came to an arrangement. Officially, father purchased Babbette from them. In practice, we agreed to give them a sum of money, and they agreed to leave us alone. However, while the matter appears to have been resolved, I am left no choice but to give up our excursions. In part because this was the condition Father gave me in exchange for, as it were, bailing me out of this predicament, but more because he is entirely correct. The consequences of my choices have proven not only mine to bear. It is simply not fair to put my family in danger for the sake of my own amusement.
I shall, of course, continue to look into the matter of Mr. Nice's journals, so far as I can do so without actually venturing into various dens of iniquity. That puzzle is simply too tantalizing to set down, and (and I have Father's agreement on this) it seems unlikely enough to draw trouble in itself. Mr. Nice, afterall, is dead. Should it prove otherwise, however, I must warn you I have promised to withdraw as promptly and thoroughly as I may. Otherwise, I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. I have greatly enjoyed our adventures together.
Sincerely,
Cathryn MontgomeryStatistics:Posted by Slimcreeper — Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:24 pm
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