"Come around this afternoon after school, Albert," called out Rudolph, as the friends separated at the market-place. And thus, quarter past four found the two in young Schweizer's room in earnest consultation.
They agreed that the whole enterprise was to be conditional, and that no risks were to be run; that is, if the boys could find no opening at Hamburg for them to work their passage on some vessel to New York, they would return to Hausewitz again, and confess to only going as far as the sea-port, saying nothing about the grander scheme they had had in view.
"You see," explained Rudolph, "we'll divide our plan into air-tight compartments, so to speak, such as they have on the steamers: the first one from here to Hamburg, and the second from there to New York; for if within two weeks, say, after our arrival out there we are not on a straight road to making our fortunes, we can close up the other compartment, and work our way back again. We'll do the thing on first-class business principles, and not in the old-fashioned runaway-boy style. Now how much can you give toward the expenses of our journey to Hamburg? We'd better reckon in dollars, so as to be sure of how much we'll have left when we get to America. The fare from here, second class—"
"But why can't we go third class?" interrupted Albert. "We don't expect to meet any of our friends on the way—or at least it is to be hoped we sha'n't—and then we'd have so much more to help us along in New York."
"All right, then, we'll reckon on third," replied Rudolph, rather impressed by the stern common-sense displayed in the other's reasoning. "But you haven't told me yet how much you have."
After a short calculation, Albert announced as the result that he had saved up about fifteen dollars.
"Good! and I have twenty," exclaimed his friend. "The fare's only five apiece, so we'll have twenty-five left over when we go aboard."
"But we've got to get something to eat, and we must sleep somewhere," put in Albert.
"Oh! it won't take much for two or three meals; and as for sleeping, why, we're sure to find a ship before night, so all we'll have to do will be to tumble into our bunks. Don't you see how nicely it all comes out?" cried Rudolph, enthusiastically. "I can almost imagine myself already walking about the New York streets, with my hands in two pockets full of money, and taking first-cabin passage back again."
"But what do you suppose the folks'll say at home here?" again interposed Albert, who, notwithstanding his readiness to fall in with all his schoolmate's propositions, now and then allowed his own private scruples to come to the surface. "Besides, I don't believe we can come back after running away from the army."