well, reach London on the Wednesday.

School was, of course, at once given up, and the girls also had a
holiday till their brother's departure. When the necessary clothes
were ordered, there was little more to do; and Charlie spent the time,
when his boy friends were in school, in walking with the girls along
the shore, talking to them of the future, of the presents he would
send them home, and of the life he should lead in India; while at
other times he went out with his favourite schoolfellows, and joined
in one last grand battle with the smack boys.

On Monday morning, after a sad farewell to his family, Charlie
embarked on board the Yarmouth Belle, a packet which performed the
journey to and from London once a fortnight. She was a roomy lugger,
built for stowage rather than speed, and her hold was crammed and her
deck piled with packages of salted fish. There were five or six other
persons also bound for London, the journey to which was, in those
days, regarded as an arduous undertaking.

As soon as the Yarmouth Belle issued from the mouth of the river, she
began to pitch heavily; and Charlie, who from frequently going out
with his father in the revenue cutter, was a good sailor, busied
himself in doing his best for his afflicted fellow passengers. Towards
evening the wind got up, and shifting ahead, the captain dropped
anchor off Lowestoft. The next morning was finer, and the Yarmouth
Belle continued her way. It was not, however, till Thursday afternoon
that she dropped anchor in the Pool.

Charlie was soon on shore, and giving his trunk to a porter, desired
him to lead the way to Bread Street, in which his uncle resided; for
in the last century, such things as country villas were almost
unknown, and the merchants of London for the most part resided in the
houses where they carried on their business. Keeping close to the
porter, to see that he did not make off with his trunk, for Charlie
had received many warnings as to the extreme wickedness of London, he
followed him through the busy streets, and arrived safely at his
uncle's door.

It was now dusk, and Charlie, on giving his name, was shown upstairs
to a large room, which was lighted by a fire blazing in the hearth.
Standing with his back to this was a gentleman whom he at once
recognized, from his mother's description, as her uncle, although he
was a good deal more portly than when she had seen him last.

"So you are my grandnephew," he said, holding ou