“Have you seen much of my uncle, sir?” inquired Newton.

“Your uncle!—­dear me, no!  I don’t know where he lives; so I waited until you came back.  We’ll go tomorrow, Newton, or he may think me unkind.  I’ll see if his watch goes well; I recollect he said it did.  But, Newton, tell me all about your voyage, and the action with the French ships.”

Newton entered into a detail, during which he perceived by his father’s questions that his memory had become more impaired, and that he was more absent than ever.  He arranged to call upon his uncle the ensuing day; and then it was his intention, without communicating it to his father, to make every inquiry and advertise to ascertain the fate of his mother.  This was a duty which he had long wished to repeat; but his necessities and want of time had hitherto precluded the renewal of the task.

Early the next morning, Newton and his father went up to London by the Greenwich coach; and a walk of a few minutes after they were put down brought them to the chambers of Mr John Forster.

“How do you do, Mr Scratton?  Is my uncle at home?” inquired Newton.

Mr Scratton immediately recognised him, and very graciously replied, that his uncle was at home and would be very glad to see him, having talked very often of him lately.

Newton and his father were ushered into the parlour, where he found his uncle precisely in the same position as when he last saw him;—­it would almost have appeared that he had not quitted his seat during Newton’s tedious voyage.

“Nephew,” said Mr John Forster, without rising from his chair, “I am very glad to see you.—­Brother Nicholas, I am very glad to see you too.—­Chairs, Scratton,” continued the old lawyer, taking his watch off the table, and placing it in his fob.  “Well, nephew, I am very glad to hear such good accounts of you.  I saw Mr Bosanquet yesterday, and he told me that you had for your good conduct been promoted to the rank of second mate.”

“It is more than I am aware of,” replied Newton, much pleased with the information.  “I am much obliged to you for the intelligence, as I am for your many other acts of kindness.”

“Well, so you ought to be; it’s no bad thing, as I told you before, to find out an uncle.  By-the-bye, there has been some alteration in my establishment since we parted, nephew.  I have a house in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and a spare bed, if you will accept of it.  We dine at six; brother Nicholas, I shall be very happy to see you, if you can stay.  It will be too late to go home after dinner, but you can share my nephew’s bed.”

“I shall be most happy to accept your kind offer for a few days, sir, if it does not incommode you,” replied Newton.

“No; you will not incommode me there, but you do very much here, where I am always busy.  So good-bye, my boy; I shall be at home at six.  Brother Nicholas, you did not vouchsafe me an answer.”