"Some folks have all the luck," grumbled Dame Higgins. "If I had taken in all the poor vagabonds in the port, they would never have turned out anything but vagabonds." "When you take in a poor vagabond sailor, he will turn out a prince of the Indies at least," said Davy Brent bluntly. "My mother did what she did from pure love and kindness, and she would not have failed of her reward, however it had turned out." "Well, well, I don't want to quarrel," said Dame Higgins. "You are sure to be rising folks, now that you have obliged such great people; and I only hope you won't forget old friends in your prosperity, that is all." CHAPTER XVIII. CONFIDENCES. Some four or five weeks had passed quietly over the heads of our friends since the events recorded in our last chapter. Master Fleming had returned to London, carrying with him the thanks and blessings of all the poor in Bridgewater, and of all whom he had led into the knowledge of the Scriptures and the way of life. Dame Barbara continued her school, now as large as she could manage. Jack had made more than one journey to Holford to visit his uncle and Arthur, between whom and himself had grown up a warm and intimate friendship. This friendship, though approved by Sir John, was not viewed with altogether favorable eyes either by my lady or Master Lucas. My lady, though she acknowledged the obligations of the family to Jack, nevertheless thought it rather beneath her son's dignity to be so familiar with the son of a citizen; and Master Lucas, who was fully as proud in his way as my lady was in hers, did not like to have Jack visit at a house where he was likely to be looked upon as a presumptuous intruder. However, Arthur's mother was inclined to treat her son with every indulgence, so long as he continued in his present weak state, and, though she gently mourned over the degeneracy of the times which made such a friendship possible, and was sometimes more condescending in her kindness to Jack than was altogether pleasant, still she was kind, and, moreover, acknowledged that the young man had parts and breeding which would not disgrace any station. It may be guessed that Jack and Arthur never wanted for topics of conversation. Arthur had lived a roving and somewhat wild life for two or three years after he went abroad, till he at last fell dangerously ill at Antwerp. Alone in a strange place, without money and without friends, he was likely to fare badly; when he was found out by those two eminent saints and confessors, Frith and Lambert, then engaged in distributing and preaching the Word of God among their own countrymen abroad. By them Arthur was fed and nursed and cared for till he recovered his health, and by them was he led to see what was the root of all his troubles, to renounce the errors in which he had been brought up, and to profess the truth.