"
"We see that, Mortiz. Dick and I have talked it over, a thousand
times. But so long as there is but a shadow of a chance of his finding
his father, he is ready to undertake the search. He is a boy in years,
but he has been trained for the undertaking, and will, when the trial
comes, bear himself as well as a man."
"Well, Margaret, I shall have plenty of opportunities for forming my
own judgment; because, of course, he will stay with us a long time
before he starts on the quest, and it will be better to say no more of
this, now.
"Now, tell me about London. Is it so much a greater city than Madras?"
Mrs. Holland sighed. She saw, by his manner, that he was wholly
opposed to her plan, and although she was quite prepared for
opposition, she could not help feeling disappointed. However, she
perceived that, as he said, it would be better to drop the subject for
a time; and she accordingly put it aside, and answered his questions.
"Madras is large--that is, it spreads over a wide extent; but if it
were packed with houses, as closely as they could stand, it would not
approach London in the number of its population."
"How is it that the English do not send more troops out here,
Margaret?"
"Because they can raise troops here, and English soldiers cannot stand
the heat as well as those born to it.
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