Sincerely,
Hazel
April 17, 1823
Dear Cousin Hazel,
I was very disappointed that you did not go to Easter at Howard House. Lady Howardsford was a very accommodating hostess, and I was glad to meet Peter and his daughters. Did you know that after his first wife passed, he married Lady Howardsford’s daughter? The interfamily marriages shall make for a very messy pedigree one day, I’m afraid. Lord Howardsford said that you did not come to Easter because I had been unable to come at Christmas and you were taking revenge. I believe this was a joke but have been rather worried. Did I offend you by not attending at Christmas? It was only that the roads were so poor, and as I do not like to travel, it did not seem wise to go so far north. Additionally, Mr. Perkins and Mr. Cromley have been frustrated with my complaints against Mr. Ludwig and did not like when I asked to take additional days away from the office. I wish I had been more clear with you regarding my intention to come at Easter. I had not known for sure that I would be able to go until a few days before the holiday, and even then, I only stayed three days.
Because we have corresponded since Christmas and you have not seemed angry, I am hopeful that Lord Howardsford was making a jest at my expense by claiming you were angry with me, but I am not always good at interpreting such things and would appreciate clarification.
Also, do you subscribe to The Review? I have only just received the edition from last November, and there is the most fascinating article about the Bernoulli brothers in France. Have you read it? I am eager to hear your opinion on whether or not they truly turned the tide on modern mathematics and overshadowed other great minds in the process.
Mr. Ludwig tried to convince me that the Greeks were superior to the Egyptians in regard to their understanding of mathematics. I was incensed! It is not necessarily the level of Egypt’s knowledge, but the fact that they were superior in their knowledge and understanding thousands of years before the rest of the civilized world. It is one of the world’s great mysteries that they could be so far advanced while separated from the greater world culture. Mr. Ludwig is an imbecile and only makes himself appear the worse by trying to pretend he isn’t.
The answer to your puzzle from last month’s letter is Queen Elizabeth, and the age of your factor is 45. Very clever.
Here is my latest number puzzle for you. I am quite enjoying these algebraic-based equations as I do not have near the algebra involved in my day-to-day work as I would like. Solve this with the numbers currently represented by the letters.
KAJAK
KAJAK
KAJAK
KAJAK
KAJAK
KAJAK
———
VESLO
Sincerely,
Mr. D. Penhale
May 7, 1823
Dear Duncan,
Of course I did not stay away because you did not come at Christmas! Goodness, do you think me such a punishing woman? I will admit that I missed your company at Christmas, but I would not have missed Easter out of spite. Sophie and I stayed at the school with the three girls who were unable to travel home for the holidays. As I had spent Christmas with my family, as odd as that is since I have never done so before, it seemed only fair. Let us both decide now that we will go to Howard House next Christmas. Shall we?
Oh, the Bernoulli brothers! You may not like to hear my opinion; therefore, I suggest you sit down before you continue reading as my thoughts might be rather shocking. I have not read the article as I do not have access to The Review, but I shall forewarn you, and perhaps give away my position, with the statement that I believe Euler to be the most brilliant mathematical mind of the last century—not that anyone would know that, thanks to Jacob and Johann Bernoulli. It is my opinion that the novelty of brothers having such advanced minds—I do admit they are brilliant, make no mistake—overshadowed poor Euler, whom I truly believe would have factored much higher in the overall accomplishments of the field if not for the death of Empress Catherine I, which is, after all, what led Euler to become a ship captain for those prime years. He was a man with very bad luck, in my opinion, but an excellent mind. I am now eager to hear what the article stated regarding this topic; thank you for bringing it to my attention.
My education of the history of mathematics is certainly lacking when compared to yours, but that can be fully accounted for by your access to teachers and libraries a girl can only dream of encountering. I was one of only two students in the history of St. Mary’s who passed the final exams of the advanced mathematics course without a single mistake, and the school’s library had only the first volume of Euclid’s Elements. Cordon Academy’s library has up through volume four, which has been wonderful, but I am still self-taught to a great degree, which is as much a source of pride to me as it is a source of regret. I have read about lectures given at Cambridge and Oxford and have grown terribly green with envy over all the education sprinkled so generously over the fortunate heads of those students. (All men, of course.)
Here is the solution to your last puzzle:
15451 x 6 = 92706
My puzzle is simple, but appropriate as to the celebration of the developments of the rail system here in England. Each letter represents a number:
CHOO
CHOO
————
TRAIN
Your friend,
Hazel
June 26, 1823
Dear Cousin Hazel,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your last letter. I trust you will not think it was because I am unacquainted with number variables. The solution to your very simple puzzle is:
5488
5488
———
10976
The reason for my delay is that Mr. Ludwig is making my life increasingly miserable. I am spending hours every day fixing his mistakes, which has left me in a very poor mood. I often spend additional hours walking in the evening as I find that to be an activity that helps me recover from my frustrations. Mr. Ludwig is not well suited for his position, but Mr. Cromley is even more determined to have him a place as Mr. Ludwig is newly married. Mr. Cromley gets irritated with me when I complain and claims Mr. Ludwig simply needs more time and patience. This belief cannot possibly be true. Mr. Cromley’s assertions that continued time and patience will remedy Mr. Ludwig’s limitations is ridiculous. At least I am given his work to go over before it is sent out; I find myself rewriting approximately 63% of those submissions.
I wish Mr. Ludwig had half your mathematics skills. I find it a shame you do not train up young men so that I might present Mr. Cromley with a truly competent alternative to his nephew.
I hope that my delay in replying to your last letter will not turn you off from continuing our correspondence as I find it most enjoyable and would like it to continue. I will improve my response rate so that I might keep to our every month pattern.