two."

Why need I go on? It was the old, old story of misplaced confidence.
Neither F--- nor I could believe that our friends would wilfully
over-reach us, so it was settled that the first thing next morning
the money should be handed over and the Government lease transferred
to us. We decided that as we were so far on the way to our new
property, we would go and look at it before returning to the Malvern
Hills, and the next few days were very busy ones, as we had to
arrange our small domestic affairs, send up the dray, etc., etc. I
felt rather anxious at the postponement of our return home, for I
had left several "clutches" of eggs on the point of being hatched,
and I had grave misgivings as to the care my expected ducklings and
chickens would receive at the lands of my scatter-brained maid
servants, to say nothing of the dangers besetting them from hawks
and rats. However, small interests must give way to great ones, and
F--- and I were already tasting the cares of proprietorship. Our
friend, the former owner of our new property, sailed for England in
the mail steamer, in high spirits, saying cordially as he shook F---'s
hand at parting, "Well you _have_ got your fortune cut out for you,
and no mistake; I feel half sorry already to think that I've
parted with that run." About two days after his departure, F--- who
had registered his name at the land office as the present tenant of
100,000 acres in the Lake Wanaka district, received a polite request
from official quarters to pay up the annual rent, just due,
amounting to 100 pounds or so. We had effected our brilliant
negotiations about a week too soon it seemed, but that was our own
fault, so we had nothing to do but pay the money with as good a
grace as possible. I am "free to confess" that this second cheque
ran our banker's account very fine indeed, but still in those palmy