society there, as you may
imagine, the neighbouring estates being mostly held by
native planters or managers, with whom my father had
never, even when well, been at all intimate. Well, my
poor father rallied a little and lingered for some time
after my arrival. His condition required my constant
care, and I hope I was able to be of some comfort to
him. When he died I thought it best to do what I could,
with the overseer's assistance, to carry on the
plantation until there was a good opportunity of
disposing of it, and for a time it did seem as if my
efforts were going to be rewarded--the life was hard and
lonely enough, but it had its charms for a solitary man
like myself. Then everything seemed to go wrong at once.
We had a bad season to begin with, and next fungus
suddenly showed itself on the estate, and soon spread to
such an extent that as a coffee plantation the place is
quite worthless now, though I dare say they will be able
to grow tea or cinchona on it. I have done with
Yatagalla myself, having just succeeded in getting rid
of it; naturally, not for a very large price per acre,
but still I shall have enough altogether to live upon if
I decide to carry on my old profession, or to start me
fairly in some other line. But I am coming home first.
(I can't call this island, lovely as most of it is,
home.) There is nothing to keep me here any longer
except my health, which has been anything but good for
the last few months. I have been down with fever after
fever; and this place, which I was ordered to as a
health resort, is too damp and chilly to get really well
in. So I shall make an effort to leave in about a
fortnight by the P. and O. "Coromandel," which they tell
me is a comfortable boat. After my experience of the
"Mangalore" I prefer to trust this time to the regular
"liners." I write this chiefly to ask you to do me a
kindness if you possibly can. I have a sort of longing
to see a friendly face on landing, and lately I have
come to persuade myself that after all you may have good
news to meet me with. Can you come? I have no
time-tables here, but I calculate that the ship will
reach Plymouth some time during the Easter holidays, so
that, even if you are still at St. Peter's, your school
duties will not prevent your coming. You can easily g