found · in the file of unanswered correspondence
esteemed sir,
i return the pages with my draft enclosed. many of your words have no equivalent in the target language. i have used the nearest possible. i am aware this is a kind of small betrayal.
for naturata i have written "that which has been made"; for adundas i have written "the rising-up"; for idolum i have left a footnote and lit a small candle.
two of the proper names i could not place. one i suspect is a person. the other, after some consideration, i suspect is a hole in the page.
i will require another month for the index.
respectfully —
— the translator
typed on a tired ribbon; the o's are paler than the rest. the writer signs by profession only; one assumes a name was thought immodest.