A SUPERINTENDENT OF THE OLDEN DAYS. 
had, and he was not singular. A great number in those 
times, when they got dull and low, suddenly recol- 
lected that they had some immediate and pressing 
business, which urgently required a trip to Kandy. 
“ It was a great bore just at this time, very in- 
convenient, but it could not be put off.” But they 
never told what this pressing business'^was, or 
whether or not they had settled it satisfactorily ; 
the truth being that the pressing business ” met 
with a temporary arrangement, but would again re- 
quire their presence in Kandy, next month sometimes. 
“ It was rather expensive this, but must be done. ” 
In these times there was no other method of pro- 
curing money, for estate payments, than by proceed- 
ing to Kandy, and cashing the order or cheque 
at the bank. Up-country sub-agencies were not in 
existence ; even the system of chettis supplying cash 
for a commission had not commenced 5 and so it 
very frequently happened, when a neighbour 
was going in to town for his cash, he 
would give due intimation to some of his other neighbours, 
in case they might require, or desire, any brought out 
also, the expense of the journey being shared, in propor- 
tion to the amount of cash brought out. 
Mr. Kenneth all of a sudden found, or thought he had 
found, an urgent necessity for proceeding inmmediately 
to Kandy. He told his neighbour the day before 
starting, asking if he liad any commissions, any cash 
to bring out ? The neighbour said, he was in daily 
expectation of receiving an order for his money from 
Colombo, and begged Mr. Kenneth, since his business 
did not appear to be very pressing, to wait until the 
remittance arrived. “Not very pressing indeed !” says 
Mr. Kenneth. “ Cool, very, how do you know that ? 
Very urgent, most urgent private personal affairs, 
which cannot be put off for any of your paltry 
remittances^ I ’m off this afternoon.’’ ^ ‘Very well, ’’says the 
neighbour, “ but it ’s not very neighbourly : however it 
can ’t be helped. Here is an order to the watchmaker for 
my w’^atch, which has been done for some time j will 
you call and get it, and pay the charge ?” “ All right,” 
says Kenneth, “I can do that, and a grf’at deal more for 
you, if you like ; onlj^ I can’t w^ait any longer,” and off 
he starts, Nearly a week had passed away, and Mr. 
Kenneth had not returned, when, one day, another 
neighbour of the neighbour’s stepped in: he was full 
of news, having just returned from Kandy. Says he^ 
“ What a fine shindy Kenneth has been kicking up. 
has not got out yet. We methim with some of his old low- 
country friends, and was n’t he ‘keeping it up’ in 
style! A few days ago, he started to come out, and 
w^as found late in the afternoon, a little beyond Kutu- 
