bject to his will and pleasure during school hours, and therefore he
had a perfect right to detain the captain. It was not his fault that a
blunder had been made; he had not made it.
The order which Mr. Lowington had shown him would remedy the difficulty
in future, and prevent its repetition; but if that order was
promulgated, it would assure the pupils that Captain Kendall had been
fully sustained, and that the professor had not been sustained. Mr.
Hamblin shuddered at the thought; for justifying a student at the
expense of the instructor was an enormity which he could not
countenance. The captain's will would remain unbroken, and the professor
would occupy a secondary position on board of the Josephine.
The learned gentleman walked the deck hour after hour, endeavoring to
devise a plan by which he could return to his position without the
sacrifice of any portion of his dignity. Mr. Lowington, in saying that
the professor's resignation would be a serious inconvenience to him, had
left the door open for him to revise his final action. The squadron was
eventually to visit Greece and other classic lands, and he was very
anxious to continue his travels, not only without expense to himself,
but while in the receipt of a handsome salary. Such an opportunity to
see Europe could never again be presented to him, and he was not willing
to sacrifice it.
Professor Hamblin was becoming more reasonable; but there was the
untamed will of Captain Kendall, an unconquered fortress, in his path.
Perhaps Mr. Lowington, now that the excitement of the first interview
had subsided, might help him out of the embarrassing dilemma, though his
decided manner was not very encouraging. The professor determined to
have another interview, and as soon as he saw the principal alone he
opened the subject again.
"What you said about my resignation, Mr. Lowington, gives me some
uneasiness. It is not my wish to subject you to any inconvenience by
leaving you, in a foreign land, where much delay must necessarily ensue
before you can obtain a suitable person to fill my place," said he, in a
tone of embarrassment.
"It would disturb my plans very much; but I cannot endanger the vessel
and the lives of those on board of her. The position of Captain Kendall
is anomalous, you will perceive."
"I am quite willing now to say that if I had understood the situation, I
should have permitted Mr. Kendall to leave the class."
"And I am quite willing to say
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