has no parents, or brothers or sisters, or any tie
to keep him in England. I showed his letter to my father, and told him
that he was a big, strong fellow, and that though I did not much like
him when I was a little fellow, he was greatly improved. My father on
this said he would send for him, and should he possess the necessary
qualifications, he should be very glad to recommend him for the
appointment. Houlston came, and as he writes well, and is a good hand
at arithmetic, and has a fair amount of knowledge on other matters, my
father told me that he would recommend him for the appointment. The
long and short of the matter is, that Houlston and I are to go up to
London with my father in a few days, to get our outfits, and to secure a
passage by the first vessel sailing for Para or the nearest port to it
in Brazil. We shall meet, Harry, and we will then talk matters over,
and, I hope, strike out some plan by which we may be able to carry out
our early designs, although perhaps not in the same way we formerly
proposed. Houlston sends his kind regards to you, and says he shall be
very happy to meet you again _Adeos, meu amigo_--that is, Good-bye, my
friend. I have lost no time in beginning to learn Portuguese, which is
the language the Brazilians speak, and I intend to work hard at it on
the voyage, so as to be able to talk away in a fashion when I land.--
Your sincere old friend, Antony Nyass."

I was very glad to get this letter, but was much disappointed at not
hearing from Arthur. Another day's post, however, brought me a letter
from him. I should have said that he had left school three months
before, and that I had not since heard from him. His letter was a very
sad one. I gathered from it that what he had dreaded had come to pass.
His mother was dead, and he was left almost destitute, though he tried
to hide from me as much as possible the fact of his poverty.

I at once made up my mind what to do. I took the letter to my uncle,
told him all about Arthur, and entreated that he might be sent out with
us in the _Inca_. "I will answer for it that he will amply repay all
the kindness he may receive," I added. Uncle James said that he would
consider the matter, and in the course of the day told me, to my great
satisfaction, that I might write to Mallet and invite him to come up to
town. Arthur lost no time in obeying the summons. My uncle was much
pleased with him, and Arthur gratefully accepted the prop