"Now, my dear boy," she said, "you've been away from me, for the most part, for eight years. I am a lonely old woman and one who has but one love in her life, and that's you. I've missed you and longed for you dreadfully; but I knew it was all for the best, and you were growing to be a brave and clever lad, and so I put up with it. Now, it's no good blinking facts; I'm getting old, and, at the best, I haven't got so many years of life before me. I've thought of all sorts of things for you--professions into which I might put you; I've thought of sending you to one of the universities. But these years have taught me a lesson. I can't spare you. After all, there are plenty of poor devils in this world who have got to earn their living, and I don't see why you, who have plenty, should stand in the way of any one of them. I know you'd beat 'em hollow, whatever you took up, if you once started; but I'm not going to let you try. As I've said, I'm a lonely old woman, and I'm devilish tired of my own company. If you can put up with me, and are not ashamed of me--no, no, boy, I ought not to have said that; forgive me--I think we might manage, for a year or two, to run about the world together and have a good time. I've never travelled yet, for travel simply means inconvenience; but you shall be my eyes, and we'll educate you in our own fashion. You shall see all that this good old earth has to show you, and you shall tell me all about it and give me your own impressions; and I shall be happy, and we'll both be happy. I don't want to make a vagabond of you; but there's a good idleness as well as a bad idleness, and we'll see if we can't find the first. What do you think of it?" "I think it would be splendid," said Comethup. "There are lots of places I've heard of that I should like to see, and if you think----" "I don't think about it; I've made up my mind. There are people who'll say that a blind old creature, such as I am, ought not to hang like a millstone round a boy's neck; but I think we shall manage to rub along together--eh, Comethup? At the same time"--she held up a warning forefinger--"if you feel any doubts about the matter, or have any other purpose in your mind, out with it. Let's have plain sailing to begin with, and we sha'n't make blunders afterward. I don't want you to be reckless; but you shall have plenty of money, and we can afford to travel in the best style and to go to the best places. I shall trust to you so completely that I intend to put the management of everything in your hands; you shall draw upon me for what you want, and I sha'n't ask you questions. Now what's it to be, Yes or No?" "Yes, with all my heart," replied Comethup. "That's good; we'll call it settled. I purpose starting almost immediately, and we shall probably be away for three or four years; but that will depend upon how things turn out. Now let's talk about something else. Did you meet any one else when you were staying with the captain?"