The oft-paraphrased observation of Robert Burns, that the best laid schemes of mice and men often go astray, is given witness by the events which subsequently transpired. By the time the notice to quit was issued in this case on August 25, 1988, Mrs. Berg had died, the barn had collapsed, and the two-hundred-year-old house had burned flat to the ground, having been replaced by a $16,000 mobile home. The defendant did not deliver up the premises in the week’s time allotted in the notice to quit. On September 8, 1988, the Claremont District Court issued a landlord and tenant writ. The defendant responded with a motion to dismiss, claiming a life estate in the premises, resulting in a transfer to the superior court on the implicit claim of title. See RSA 540:17. The plaintiff later amended her pleadings to include a claim for breach of the obligation to pay insurance premiums.