The monk who acts as the man of business of the convent, shrugged his shoulders.

'What can you be thinking of ?' he said; 'you know we have only a life interest in the property.

To comply with your request, we must spend our income for the benefit of our successors: and what care we for our successors?
No, we look to the present usufruct; the future is no concern of ours--we have no children!' And the friar is right.

Well, he went on to say that I was at liberty to build at my own cost as many sheds as I liked, which of course would belong to the convent at the expiration of my lease.

I replied that I had no objection to erect the sheds, if the convent would grant me a lease of reasonable length.