Six months ago she died, leaving me the little property she possessed, for most of her income came from an annuity.

After paying expenses, duty, &c., it amounts to 1,115 pounds.
Now, the interest on this is about fifty pounds a year, and I can't live in the army on that.

Just after my aunt's death I came to Durban with my regiment from Mauritius, and now they are ordered home.

Well, I liked the country, and I knew that I could not afford to live in England, so I got a year's leave of absence, and made up my mind to have a look round to see if I could not take to farming.

Then a gentleman in Durban told me of your uncle, and said that he wanted to dispose of a third interest in his place for a thousand pounds, as he was getting too old to manage it himself.