"P. S. The man in whose house I am stopping is named Nahum Sprague."
"You see, Mark, your mission will be one of mercy. The sooner the poor boy is rescued from such people as Mr. and Mrs. Sprague the better for him. By the way, I don't want them to say my cousin has been an expense to them. Therefore I will authorize you to obtain from them an itemized account of what they have spent for him and the boy and pay it. You will see that they don't impose upon me by presenting too large a bill."
"Yes, sir. I will look sharply after your interests."
"I shall give you more than enough to get you to San Francisco, and I will give you a letter to a firm there, authorizing you to draw upon them for any sum you may require up to a thousand dollars."
"But that will be a great deal more than I shall need."
"I presume so, but I give you so large a credit to use in case of emergencies."
"You are trusting me very far, Mr. Gilbert."
"I am aware of that, but I feel entirely safe in doing so."
"Thank you, sir."
Other directions were given, and it was agreed that Mark should start on his long journey on Monday morning.