No one spoke to him of this; perhaps no one thought of it; he, however, did so think of it that he could not hold his head up before them.
'He was ill,' Gertrude said; 'his long confinement had prostrated him; but the sea air would revive him in a day or two.' And then she made herself busy, and got the tea for them, and strove, not wholly in vain,' to drive dull care away!' But slowly as the cabs went in spite of Charley's vocal execrations, they did get to the docks in time.

Who, indeed, was ever too late at the docks?
Who, that ever went there, had not to linger, linger, linger, till every shred of patience was clean worn out?
They got to the docks in time, and got on board that fast-sailing, clipper-built, never-beaten, always-healthy ship, the _Flash of Lightning_, 5,600 tons, A 1.

Why, we have often wondered, are ships designated as A 1, seeing that all ships are of that class?
Where is the excellence, seeing that all share it?
Of course the _Flash of Lightning_ was A 1.

The author has for years been looking out, and has not yet found a ship advertised as A 2, or even as B 1.

What is this catalogue of comparative excellence, of which there is but one visible number?
The world, we think, makes a great mistake on the subject of saying, or acting, farewell.