Mr Finch used to be a librarian at the University of Swemmit, a not very big university but just large enough to get lost in and just large enough to have the sort of library you could get even more lost in, peculiarly bigger than the architects ever intended it to be. Regularly people wander in to find something to read, end up forgetting what level they're in and eventually having to camp out overnight somewhere around the theology section (there's a tent) until someone sends a search party to find you the next morning.
In fact Mr Finch's current home came about because of one such search party. His landlady, the mysterious Mrs Ivers, was one such lost soul. She was lost in the library for two weeks, and was so traumatised by the incident that she spent most of the time in a large cardboard box. She has never come out of the box since, so Mr Finch has never in fact met her properly or indeed knows what kind of animal she is, but because he politely returned her in the box to her home in Trosset and finding out she needed a couple of lodgers, suggested himself and Aloysius. Life in Wegware was lovely, but as the main town on the island it could also be a bit noisy. Trosset is sleepier and Mr Finch and his best parrot friend have been very happy there for the last ten years. And they are happy to leave Mrs Ivers to shuffle around in her box, if it keeps her happy.
Mr Finch and Mr Mitton arrived at the house - an end terrace overlooking the sea and with a nice view of St Tessop's church beyond McAvoy Spinney - to the delicious odours of Aloysius' cooking. Aloysius had been a ship's parrot, taking over the catering on many trips out to Swemmit Slough over the years, but had always longed to cook on the mainland because "I really want to be able to make something that doesn't collapse every time the ship lurches". He now tinkers around the kitchen, exploring and innovating new recipes and doing a weekly radio show on Radio Swemmit where he shares his latest mad cookery ideas.
"Oh that's a nice smell," said the dog Mr Benny Minton, "what kind of cake is that?"
"A delicious one!" said the parrot, hopping into the hall way as the front door closed, "Hello Mr Minton! Nice to see you again! Are you here for my cakes?"
"Aloysius," said Mr Minton (the parrot had long forgotten his own surname), "I am always here for your cakes. What have you made today?"
"Coconut, potato and Mystery Pudding," said the parrot excitedly. Nobody knew what Aloysius' Mystery Pudding was, and most people believe it changed on a weekly basis, but everybody who smelled or tasted it declared their undying love for it.
"Lovely!" said Mr Finch, as he walked into the front room. Every room in the house was stuffed with Mr Finch's books. He had thousands of them, getting them from all over the island and also from his many friends across the world. He also used to take home any unloved books from the library before he retired, and even now the head librarian - the armadillo Mr Gossett - boxes up any interesting books and sends them to his old friend and assistant. "I shall let Mrs Ivers know we're having cake in the front room."
"Mrs Ivers! Cake!!" he shouted.
There was suddenly a loud bang, followed by a clatter, a sort of zuzz-zuzz-zuzz noise that went on for a few seconds, followed by another clatter, a distant bell ringing and then something very close to a CLUMPH noise. And in the doorway stood a large cardboard box, with eyeholes cut out somewhere in the middle. This was Mrs Ivers.
"OOOH! CAKE!" came a voice, a somewhat strange and clearly disguised voice - deep and echoey. Mrs Ivers always claimed to be very shy, especially after her two weeks lost in the library, but Mr Finch suspected there was a stranger mystery about who his landlady was. She did not have a family, she lived in the walls, cellar and attic, and sometimes there was a strange clanking noise in the middle of the night that sometimes sounded like a voice. "I LOVE CAKE! BUT WE MUST DO THE PHOTO FIRST!"
One of Mrs Ivers' most peculiar habits was taking photographs of any guests who came to visit. She would photograph it, disappear for a few hours, and come back with it beautifully framed and added to the wall of faces that went throughout the house.
"We can always do the cake first and then the photo?" said Mr Minton, hopefully sniffing the air.
"NO! PHOTO FIRST! THEN CAKE!" barked Mrs Iver. "ALL THREE OF YOU! AND THEN LETTER!!"
Mr Minton looked at Mr Finch, "Oh she knows about the letter too?"
"Oh yes, she enjoys hearing about Mr Browning's books - so let's do the photo, get the cake and then tuck into whatever my friend has to say", said Mr Finch.
And so here is the photo.
And, also, here is the letter...
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