ce for you out there, why, I'll send you word, and you can join me."

"No, you won't, Mas'r Harry," he said quietly.

"But I promise you that I will."

"No, you won't, Mas'r Harry."

"Don't you believe my word, Tom?"

"I believe that you believe you mean me to believe, Mas'r Harry," he
said; "but I don't mean you to go without me, and so I tell you. There
wouldn't be no getting on without me alongside o' you, that there
wouldn't, and I'm going along with you."

"What are you two quarrelling about?" said my father, coming up just
then.

"We were not quarrelling, father," I replied, snatching at the
opportunity to lay bare my plans now that I was a little excited, for I
had been rather nervous about how my proposals would be taken.

"Mas'r Harry's going out foreign abroad," said Tom sturdily; "and he
said I warn't to go with him, and I said I would, sir--that's all."

"Oh, he's going abroad, is he?" said my father.

"Yes, sir," I replied, "I have made up mind to go and see if Uncle
Reuben can find me anything to do."

"I hope you don't think that you are going to lead a life of idleness
out there, sir?"

"Oh no, sir," I replied, "I mean to work."

"Then why don't you work here?" said my father.

"Because I hate the trade so, sir."

"Nice clean business too," said my father; "makes clean money, and
keeps people clean. I suppose you know it's horribly hot out there?"

"Not so hot as in our boiling-house, sir," I replied.

"Humph!" said my father; and then, without another word, he walked back
into the house.

"I _am_ glad," cried Tom, rubbing his hands together softly. "What a
time of it we shall have, Mas'r Harry!"

It was my turn now to be silent, and I stood watching Tom, and thinking
as I struggled with myself that it would, after all, be very pleasant to
have a sturdy trustworthy fellow like Tom always at my back when I was
in a strange land. For I had read that the descendants of the old
Spaniards in South America were courtly noble-looking gentlemen enough,
but were bitter and revengeful, and not always disposed to look with
favour upon Englishmen. How did I know but in my fortune-seeking
adventures--for truly enough I meant to go out to seek my fortune--I
might make enemies, and be sometime or another in danger. Then how good
it would be to have such a henchman as Tom at my side.

My thoughts were very visionary, of course, for I could not foresee the
strange adventures through which I