To the Superior of the Major Seminary of Amiens, Paris

September 4, 1818

Dear Sir,

I received your letter dated August 23. I was quite surprised to learn that you had not received my first letter, sent on August 11. 

As you were kind enough to reply to my last letter, I am confident that you would have replied to my first one, if it had fallen into your hands, which leads me to believe that it was intercepted. The reply to the first letter was signed by a Mr. Tripier, as far as I could read his name. It was sent August 16, from your seminary. 

Having received it on the 19th, I then received the second on the 23rd of the said month, signed Bailly. These different names lead me to believe that the second letter went to the proper address, while the first might have fallen into someone else’s hands. You would probably recognize the handwriting, I’d be happy to send you the letters, if you wish, if you could use a reliable method to receive and return them. 

In one of his letters, dated July 7, Etienne promised to inform me of his arrival in Paris, but I have heard nothing more from him. That said, I know that he is here, his brother Baptiste had seen him here, though he was not able to tell me where he was staying. These two gentlemen seem to want to keep me in ignorance of his location. I don’t know why, I’m quite irritated by this behavior. 

I hope that you will be kind enough to respond to this third letter, and I do apologize for this request. 

Your humble servant, 

M.B.