efused even to accede to the doctrine of the
expediency of a manly bearing. "What's the good of telling a lie
about it?" he would say to his mother. "What's the good of manliness
when a fellow would rather be drowned?" He had left his bed indeed,
and had once or twice sauntered out of the house. He had been
instigated by his sister to go down to his club, under the idea
that by such an effort he would shake off the despondency which
overwhelmed him. But he had failed in the attempts, and had walked by
the doors of the Mountaineers, finding himself unable to face the
hall-porter. But still the preparations for his departure were going
on. It was presumed that he was to leave London for Liverpool on the
Friday, and his father had now visited him in his own room on the
Tuesday evening with the intention of extorting from him his final
consent. Sir Thomas had on that morning expressed himself very freely
to his son-in-law Mr. Traffick, and on returning home had been glad
to find that his words had been of avail, at any rate as regarded the
dinner-hour. He was tender-hearted towards his son, and disposed to
tempt him rather than threaten him into obedience.

"I haven't ever said I would go," replied Tom.

"But you must, you know. Everything has been packed up, and I want to
make arrangements with you about money. I have got a cabin for you to
yourself, and Captain Merry says that you will have a very pleasant
passage. The equinoxes are over."

"I don't care about the equinoxes," said Tom. "I should like bad
weather if I am to go."

"Perhaps you may have a touch of that, too."

"If the ship could be dashed against a rock I should prefer it!"
exclaimed Tom.

"That's nonsense. The Cunard ships never are dashed against rocks.
By the time you've been three days at sea you'll be as hungry as a
hunter. Now, Tom, how about money?"

"I don't care about money," said Tom.

"Don't you? Then you're very unlike anybody else that I meet. I think
I had better give you power to draw at New York, San Francisco,
Yokohama, Pekin, and Calcutta."

"Am I to go to Pekin?" asked Tom, with renewed melancholy.

"Well, yes;--I think so. You had better see what the various houses
are doing in China. And then from Calcutta you can go up the country.
By that time I dare say we shall have possession of Cabul. With such
a government as we have now, thank God! the Russians will have been
turned pretty nearly out of Asia by this time next year."*