I duly received your letter of 12th August [unclear: If] quite out of the question considering such a thing as compromise connection with the present action. Quite apart from the fact [unclear: the] matters have gone too far to make such a step advisable, no [unclear: ac] promise could secure the Trustees from the re-opening of the case [unclear: in] Court of Law; nor could it be expected that those whose [unclear: inte] may be affected by the final judgment would be satisfied with [unclear: s] settlement which was not the outcome of a decree of the [unclear: Cour] cannot admit for one moment the charges you make against [unclear: me] connection with the administration of the estate of your late [unclear: fath] I and my co-Trustees have administered it to the best of our [unclear: ahis] and, with the exception of the Meadowbank Award and some [unclear: paratively] small matters, the Court has upheld our management. [unclear: It] page 11 should not forget, too, that during the more critical period of the [unclear: admistration] Mr. Isaac was one of the Trustees, and had a special concernin seeing that your interests were at least as well guarded as [unclear: lose] of any other beneficiary. As regards Meadowbank, although the decision of the Court is adverse to the course followed by the [unclear: Instees], the latter acted upon the best advice obtainable, and with [unclear: the] concurrence of all who were in a position to concur.

I hope you will acquit me of any want of conrtesy towards your-self in preferring not to discuss these matters with you. Were it a [unclear: metion] of yourself alone, I should be glad to do what I could to make things plain to you, but you will excuse my saying that I feel both the present and your former letters emanate from Mr. Isaac, and for many [unclear: asons] it is inadvisable that I should enter into any correspondence him, either direct or indirect.