I have promised your mother to give up the sea, and settle
down again at Shadwell, where I can meet old friends and shall feel at
home. We have had a long talk over what you said the other night,
about your insisting that we should take the money those jewels of
yours fetch. Well, we won't do that."
"Then I will sell them, Father," Dick said positively, "and give the
money to a hospital!"
"I have not finished yet, Dick. We won't take all the money, but we
have agreed that we will take a quarter of it. Of course, we could
manage on my savings, as your mother did when I was away. We shall
lose the little allowance the Company made her, but I shall buy a
share in a ship with my money, which will bring in a good deal better
rate of interest than she got for it in the funds, so we could still
manage very well. Still, as we feel that it would please you, we agree
to take a quarter of the money the jewels fetch; and that, with what I
have, will give us an income well beyond our wants. So that is
settled.
"Now, about yourself. I really don't think that you can do better than
what you proposed, when we were talking of it yesterday. You would be
like a fish out of water, in England, if you had nothing to occupy
your time; and therefore can't do better than enter the Service here,
and remain, at any rate, for a few years.
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