In the next, he says how a certain house which Atticus had intended to purchase had been secured by Fonteius for 130,000 sesterces--something over L1000, taking the sesterce at 2 _d_.

This no doubt was part of the plunder which Fonteius had taken from the Gauls.

Quintus is getting on better with his wife.

Then he tells his friend very abruptly that his father died that year on the eighth day before the kalends of December--on the 24th of November.

Some question as to the date of the old man's death had probably been asked.