The Case of the Cottingley Fairies
July 12 Reply to Conan Doyle
Mr. Wright responded. This text is taken from the book, "The Coming of the Fairies," by Conan Doyle:
31 Main Street, Cottingley, Bingley
July 12, 1920
Dear Sir,
I hope you will forgive us for not answering your letter sooner and thanking you for the beautiful book you so kindly sent to Elsie. She is delighted with it. I can assure you we do appreciate the honour you have done her. The book came last Saturday morning an hour after we had left for the seaside for our holidays, so we did not receive it until last night. We received a letter from Mr. Gardner at the same time, and he proposes coming to see us at the end of July. Would it be too long to wait until then, when we could explain what we know about it?
Yours very gratefully,
Arthur Wright.
Note: In this letter, Mr. Wright appears to be very willing to meet with Sir Arthur, and expresses no doubt about the authenticity of the fairy photos. Perhaps, at this period on his new acquaintanceship with the famous author, Wright was willing to "go along" with the girls' "little joke," an attitude that is in sharp contrast with his later misgivings on the matter.
Conan Doyle's response on July 14.
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