He was on the Mississippi when last I heard.
XII.
1 OAKLEY VILLAS, BIRCHESPOOL, 5th June, 1882.
When I had made all those dispositions which I
described with such painful prolixity in my last letter,
my dear Bertie, I sat down on my study chair, and I laid
out the whole of my worldly wealth upon the table in
front of me. I was startled when I looked at it,--three
half-crowns, a florin, and four sixpences, or eleven and
sixpence in all. I had expected to hear from
Cullingworth before this; but at least he was always
there, a trusty friend, at my back. Immediately upon
engaging the house I had written him a very full letter,
telling him that I had committed myself to keeping it for
one year, but assuring him that I was quite convinced
that with the help which he had promised me I should be
able to hold my own easily. I described the favourable
position of the house, and gave him every detail of the
rent and neighbourhood. That letter would, I
was sure, bring a reply from him which would contain my
weekly remittance. One thing I had, above all,
determined upon. That was that, whatever hardships might
lie before me, I would fight through them without help
from home. I knew, of course, that my mother would have
sold everything down to her gold eye-glasses to help me,
and that no thought of our recent disagreement would have
weighed with her for an instant; but still a man has his
feelings, you know, and I did not propose to act against
her judgment and then run howling for help.
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