"I have been allowed to nominate all my own officers, and I have therefore entered you on the ship's books, not only for your father's sake, but also on account of your excellent behaviour while aboard the _Colossus_; and if, as I hope, you have sufficiently recovered to join, you will again meet one or two of your former shipmates on the quarter-deck of the new ship. "If you feel fit for duty I would very strongly advise you to join at the earliest possible moment, as at present the _Europa_ has only her three lower-masts stepped. She is in the hands of the riggers, and I am of opinion that it would be of the utmost service to you if you could be on the spot to witness the process of rigging; you would thus obtain at first hand an insight into details, which will assuredly stand you in good stead when you come to present yourself for examination. I ought, perhaps, to inform you that in the event of your deciding to act upon my advice it will be necessary for you to take up your quarters temporarily aboard the receiving hulk, but this inconvenience will be more than compensated by the knowledge that you will gain. For myself, I am putting up at the `George' in the High Street, and it will be well for you to report yourself to me there upon your arrival. I have written to your father, explaining everything; I need therefore add nothing to this beyond the expression of the hope that you may be able to avail yourself to the fullest extent of this splendid opportunity for gaining a great deal of most useful knowledge in a very short time.--Yours sincerely, Henry Vavassour." When I had finished the perusal of this exceedingly kind and friendly letter I passed it over to my father, who in his turn read it carefully through, and then passed it back to me with the question: "Well, Dick, my boy, what do you think of it?" "Simply, sir, that if you approve I will at once write to Captain Vavassour, thanking him heartily for his very great kindness, and telling him that I will start for Portsmouth to-morrow," I said. My father regarded me, rather wistfully I thought, for a few moments, and then said: "Very well; be it so. Write your letter, by all means, and I will enclose a few lines in it. And,"--suddenly, in a much more cheerful tone of voice, as an idea seemed to suggest itself to him--"I'll tell you what I'll do, Dick, I'll run over to Portsmouth with you, and stay for a few days. A little change will do me good; and I should like very much to see this new ship of yours, as well as to meet Vavassour again, whom I have not seen for quite a number of years. Yes, certainly, I will go over with you."