The same evening he returned to town, and spent the days very
pleasantly until the afternoon came when he was to depart. Then he
bade farewell to his kind friends Sir James and Lady Ruthven. Dick
accompanied him in the cab to Euston station, where a minute or two
later Mr. Goodenough arrived. The luggage was placed in a carriage,
and Frank stood chatting with Dick at the door, until the guard's
cry, "Take your places!" caused him to jump into the carriage.
There was one more hearty handshake with his friend, and then the
train steamed out of the station.
It was midnight when they arrived at Liverpool, and at once went
to bed at the Station Hotel. On coming down in the morning Frank
was astonished at the huge heap of baggage piled up in the hall,
but he was told that this was of daily occurrence, as six or eight
large steamers went out from Liverpool every week for America
alone, and that the great proportion of the passengers came down,
as they had done, on the previous night, and slept at the Station
hotel. Their own share of the baggage was not large, consisting
only of a portmanteau each, Mr. Goodenough having sent down all
his boxes two days previously. At twelve o'clock they went on board
the Niger, bound for the west coast of Africa.
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