He delivered judgment in the following words:
"The facts in this case are not in dispute. On May 15 last the defendant
wrote to the plaintiff, requesting to be allowed to withdraw from his
professional position in regard to the decoration of the plaintiff's
house, unless he were given 'a free hand.' The plaintiff, on May 17,
wrote back as follows: 'In giving you, in accordance with your request,
this free hand, I wish you to clearly understand that the total cost of
the house as handed over to me completely decorated, inclusive of your
fee (as arranged between us) must not exceed twelve thousand pounds.' To
this letter the defendant replied on May 18: 'If you think that in such
a delicate matter as decoration I can bind myself to the exact pound, I
am afraid you are mistaken.' On May 19 the plaintiff wrote as follows:
'I did not mean to say that if you should exceed the sum named in my
letter to you by ten or twenty or even fifty pounds there would be
any difficulty between us. You have a free hand in the terms of this
correspondence, and I hope you will see your way to completing the
decorations.' On May 20 the defendant replied thus shortly: 'Very well.'
"In completing these decorations, the defendant incurred liabilities
and expenses which brought the total cost of this house up to the sum of
twelve thousand four hundred pounds, all of which expenditure has been
defrayed by the plaintiff.
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