e house you occupy to keep the drain which
passes your garden in an efficient state, throughout the length of its
passage by your ground. Now, sir, it is, at present, far from being in
such a condition; and the consequence is, that a large portion of my
land in your neighbourhood is laid under water, to my serious loss. I
therefore request that you will instantly see to this, to prevent
further trouble. I am, sir," &c.

Well, gentlemen (continued our melancholy friend), to prevent this
further trouble, and to keep, if possible, on goods terms with my
neighbour, I went, immediately on receipt of his letter, and examined
the drain in question; resolving, at the same time, to do what he
requested, or rather commanded, if it could be done at a reasonable
cost, although I conceived that it was a matter with which I had
nothing to do. It was an affair of my landlord's altogether, I thought,
especially as nothing had been said to me about the drain when I took
the house--at least nothing that I recollected. However, as I have said,
I determined, for peace's sake, to repair it in the meantime, and to
take my landlord in my own hand for restitution. On looking at the
drain, I found it indeed in a very bad state, and immediately sent for a
person skilled in such matters to give me an idea of what might be the
cost of putting it in a proper order; and was informed that it might be
put in very good condition, in such a state as my neighbour could not
object to, for about fifty pounds. Now, gentlemen, this was precisely
equal to two years' rent of my house, and, I thought, rather too large a
price to pay for the good will of my neighbour; and I resisted, at the
same time referring him to my landlord. My landlord said he had nothing
to do with it, and that I must settle the affair with Mr. T---- the best
way I could. Well, I took advice in the matter, for I thought it looked
very like a conspiracy against my simplicity and good nature; and was
advised by all means to resist. The result was, that my neighbour, Mr.
T----, immediately commenced a suit against me; and, in my own defence,
I was compelled to raise an action of relief against my landlord; so
that, when I returned to town, I brought with me from my sweet, calm,
peaceable retirement, a couple of full blown law pleas of the most
promising dimensions. Who would have thought it--who would have dreamt
it--that, in this seclusion, this desert, as I may call it, I should
have got i