You might have probably heard, or read something in the papers about an unfortunate cruiser shipwreck these late weeks. You'll be sad to hear that Mrs. Thorndyke was certainly not one of the survivors. That takes us to the subject of this letter, which is both to congratulate you for having your baby and to apologize because, the way things are going, I'm afraid we won't be able to be present at the christening. I'm sure you will understand and excuse us. You don't know how boring it can be after three weeks on a life raft.
Nothing seems to be critical, though, in our present situation.
But we are rapidly running out of tea. Well, I have to sign off now. Please don't forget to drop us a line as soon as you receive this bottle, and let us know you did.