A thousand thanks for your kind letter

LETTER, MRS. HARKER TO VAN HELSING

25 September, 6:30 P.M."

"My dear Dr. Van Helsing,

A thousand thanks for your kind letter, which has taken a great weight off my mind. And yet, if it be true, what terrible things there are in the world, and what an awful thing if that man, that monster, be really in London! I fear to think. I have this moment, whilst writing, had a wire from Jonathan, saying that he leaves by the 6:25 tonight from Launceston and will be here at 10:18, so that I shall have no fear tonight. Will you, therefore, instead of lunching with us, please come to breakfast at eight o'clock, if this be not too early for you? You can get away, if you are in a hurry, by the 10:30 train, which will bring you to Paddington by 2:35. Do not answer this, as I shall take it that, if I do not hear, you will come to breakfast."

"Believe me,

Your faithful and grateful friend, "Mina Harker."

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"Believe me, Your faithful and grateful friend, MINA HARKER."

I love a good complimentary close. For about five years, I signed most of my emails as ‘Your very humble and most obedient servant’, and I think that typing that out kept me from sending some emails that I would have regretted. I hasten to add that I did this when posting to listservs about the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and I wasn’t the only one. It wasn't some weird ‘nice guy’ affectation, it was just a weird historic affectation.