In conclusion, I asked him whether he thought it wise to
allow his only son to accompany such an expedition, mainly because of
a not very serious quarrel with himself.
As no answer came to this letter I went on with our preparations.
There was money in plenty, since the re-sale of "O. Pavo" to Sir
Joshua Tredgold, at some loss, had been satisfactorily carried out,
which enabled me to invest in all things needful with a cheerful
heart. Never before had I been provided with such an outfit as that
which preceded us to the ship.
At length the day of departure came. We stood on the platform at
Paddington waiting for the Dartmouth train to start, for in those days
the African mail sailed from that port. A minute or two before the
train left, as we were preparing to enter our carriage I caught sight
of a face that I seemed to recognise, the owner of which was evidently
searching for someone in the crowd. It was that of Briggs, Sir
Alexander's clerk, whom I had met in the sale-room.
"Mr. Briggs," I said as he passed me, "are you looking for Mr.
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