with me for
a visit. That is, as soon as we get our discharges."

Jack hesitated.

"But I don't know that I should," he said. "Lord Hastings----"

"Go by all means," said Lord Hastings. "You have earned a rest and should
take it. Now I'll see about the discharges at once, and as soon as you
receive them, both of you take my advice and go to the United States. That
will give me additional time to look around, Jack. And when you get there,
stay until I send for you."

"All right, sir," said Jack with a smile. "You're still my superior
officer, sir. I must obey your commands."

The three shook hands and Jack and Frank returned to the Essex.

CHAPTER XXX

HOME AT LAST

"Recognize that, Jack?" asked Frank, pointing across the water.

The lads were standing on the forward deck of a great trans-Atlantic liner
that was edging its way into New York harbor.

Jack looked in the direction Frank indicated.

"Rather," he said, "although I only saw it once before. That's the Statue
of Liberty."

"Right," said Frank, "the emblem of that for which America went to war."

"And the spirit for which we all fought," Jack added.

"Exactly. Well, it's been a long time since I saw her. I'm glad to see her
again."

It was morning of the last day of the year 1918.

True to his word, Lord Hastings had been able to secure discharges for the
lads within two weeks after the surrender of the German fleet. They
accompanied Lord Hastings to London, where they remained some time at his
home. Frank, meanwhile, communicated with his father and announced that he
would be home soon. He did not give the exact date, for he wished his
return to be a surprise. And a surprise he knew it would be, as he now
stood on the deck of the incoming liner.

The ship docked a short time later and Jack and Frank went ashore at once.
They took a taxi to the Grand Central station, where they caught a fast
train for Boston. It was night when they arrived there, but Frank
determined to go out to his home in Woburn, ten miles from Boston, at
once.

Accordingly they took an elevated train at the South Station. This put
them in the North Station ten minutes later, and Frank found that there
was a train for Woburn in half an hour.

It was after dark when the lads alighted from the train in the little town
of Woburn. Jack had been there with Frank before, when the lads had
crossed the Atlantic to New York soon after the United States entered the
war.