The letter was pretty rude


No "Hello, how are you?", no "How long was it the last time we met?", nothing resembling common courtesy, just smack you in the face with "By the time you read this, I may be dead". That woman doesn't mince her words does she?

Marie got her ass kicked in "Au Hasard Balthazar"

reply

Well, Stefan is a self-centered character who needs a little attention-grabbing verbal smack in the face with, "By the time you read this letter, I may be dead." After all, he never even remembered who Lisa was a few weeks before he received the letter.

"I do write my music for people, not for computers." - Dr. Miklós Rózsa (1907-1995)

reply

She was practically on her death bed when she wrote the freakin' letter. She died before she was even able to finish what she wrote. And you expected her to think about courtesy????

JeSkuNk

reply

I do think the OP was being more than a little tongue in cheek with his comment. I mean considering all of Stefan's inconsiderate behavior over the letter a lack of polite salutations is a rather mild offense.

reply

It wasn't rude. it was full of urgency. She had to seize his attention. Also, with his challenger awaiting him outside, he may have been inclined to postpone the reading of the letter if it had begun with pleasantries.

reply

What was his challenger? Did Lisa's husband go to kill Stefan. Did Lisa catch typhus on the train and die of that? What makes everyone think she died?

reply

Plus, by the time she wrote the letter it had FINALLY dawned on her that he had no idea who she was. No need for pleasantries.

reply

She didn't have time to mince words! Besides, with him, it would have been sort of pointless.

~~~~~
Jim Hutton (1934-79) and Ellery Queen = 

reply

By the time he reads the letter, he's dead too. Naturally she'd be rude--she's getting her revenge!

reply