call his
son Rectus--he would pay me a salary. He had evidently read about young
English fellows travelling on the continent with their tutors, and I
suppose he wanted me to be his son's tutor, or something like it.

When father told me what Mr. Colbert had proposed, I agreed instantly. I
liked Rectus, and the salary would help immensely. I wrote to New York
that very night, accepting the proposition.

When my friends in the town, and those at the school, heard that Rectus
and I were going off together, they thought it an uncommonly good joke,
and they crowded up to our house to see me about it.

"Two such good young men as you and Rectus travelling together ought to
have a beneficial influence upon whole communities," said Harry Alden;
and Scott remarked that if there should be a bad storm at sea, he would
advise us two to throw everybody else overboard to the whales, for the
other people would be sure to be the wicked ones. I am happy to say that
I got a twist on Scott's ear that made him howl, and then mother came in
and invited them all to come and take supper with me, the Tuesday before
I started. We invited Rectus to come up from the city, but he did not
make his appearance. However, we got on first-rate without him, and had
a splendid time. There was never a woman who knew just how to make boys
have a good time, like my mother.

I had been a long while on the steamer waiting for Rectus. She was to
sail at three o'clock, and it was then after two. The day was clear and
fine, but so much sitting and standing about had made me cold, so that I
was very glad to see a carriage drive up with Rectus and his father and
mother. I went down to them. I was anxious to see Rectus, for it had
been nearly a year since we had met. He seemed about the same as he used
to be, and had certainly not grown much. He just shook hands with me and
said, "How d' ye do, Gordon?" Mr. and Mrs. Colbert seemed ever so much
more pleased to see me, and when we went on the upper deck, the old
gentleman took me into the captain's room, the door of which stood open.
The captain was not there, but I don't believe Mr. Colbert would have
cared if he had been. All he seemed to want was to find a place where we
could get away from the people on deck. When he had partly closed the
door, he said:

"Have you got your ticket?"

"Oh, yes!" I answered; "I bought that ten days ago. I wrote for it."

"That's right," said he, "and here is Sammy's ticket. I