literally giving away my property is that I don't want any suspense or
bother. Take it or leave it, just as you like. There's Wilkinson and
Fairwright and a lot of others all clamouring for the refusal of it,
and I've only waited to see if you really wanted it before closing with
Fairwright. He is walking about with a cheque all ready filled up in his
pocket, and only begging and praying me to let him have the run on my
own terms. Why you might be weather-bound or kept there for a month,
and what shall I do then? No, its all just as I've told you, and you can
call it your own to-morrow, but I can't possibly wait for you to go and
look at it." No words of mine can give any idea of the tone of scorn in
which our guest pronounced these last three words; as if looking at an
intended purchase was at once the meanest and most absurd thing in-the
world. F---- seemed half ashamed of himself for his proposal, but still
he urged that he never liked to take a leap in the dark, backing up his
opinion by several world-revered adages. "That's all very fine," chimed
in our precious business adviser," but this transaction can hardly be
said to be in the dark; here are the plans and the Government lease and
the transfer deeds, all regular and ready." With this he produced the
plans, and then it was all up with us. Who does not know the peculiar
_smell_ of tracing-paper, with its suggestions of ownership? When
these fresh and crackling drawings were opened before us they resembled
nothing so much as a veritable paradise. There shone the lake--a
brilliant patch of cobalt blue, bordered by outlines of vivid green
pasture and belts of timber. Here and there, on the outskirts, we read
the words, "proposed township," "building lots," "probable gold fields,"
"saw mills." F---- laid his hand down over a large wash of light green
paint and asked," Now what sort of country is this; really and truly,
you know?" "First class sheep country, I give you my word," replied the
owner eagerly, "only wants to be stocked for a year or 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