view. Taking into account any possible delays, they could assign between seven and eight weeks to the trip, and the young scholarship-recipients would then return to Europe, their hearts filled with unforgettable memories of their cherished islands on the new continent.
Finally, one last question came up, which quickly became a concern for the families.
Would the laureates be left to themselves, since the oldest among them had not yet reached his twenty-first birthday? In short, would there be no teacher’s hand to guide them, to look after them? While they visited this archipelago belonging to different European states, were certain discords to be feared—jealousies and disputes—if various questions of nationality surfaced? Would they forget that they were all Antilleans and boarders at the same school, when Mr. Ardagh would no longer be there to provide his wise and cautious guidance?
The Antillean School director reflected on these possible difficulties. If he was not able to accompany his students himself, he wondered who would be able to replace him in this task, a task that might prove at times to be somewhat arduous.
Moreover, this question had not escaped Mrs. Seymour’s very practical mind. And we will see how she had resolved it, since the prudent lady would have never allowed the young men to be completely free from all authority during this voyage.
Now, how would the crossing of the Atlantic take place? Would it be on board one of those ships that travel regularly between England and the Antilles? Would berths be held, and cabins reserved in the name of each of the nine laureates?
We repeat, they were not to spend any of their own money on this trip, and even an expense of this sort would not be taken from the seven hundred pounds that they would receive upon leaving Barbados to return to Europe.
In fact, there was a paragraph in Mrs. Seymour’s letter that addressed this specific question in the following terms:
“The transportation across the ocean will be paid out of my own funds. A ship, chartered for the Antilles, will await its passengers at the port of Cork, in Queenstown, Ireland. That ship is the Alert, commanded by Captain Paxton, which is ready to sail and whose departure is set for June 30. Captain Paxton expects to welcome his passengers at that time, and he will weigh anchor as soon as they arrive.”
Undoubtedly, the young men were going to travel if not like princes, at least like yachtsmen. A ship would be at their disposal to take them to the West Indies and to bring them back to England! Mrs. Seymour knew how to arrange things! She was seeing to everything in magnificent fashion, this Maecenas from Albion!2 Truthfully, if millionaires always spent their millions on such good works, one would only wish them to possess more, many more!
So it came to be that, in this small world of the Antillean School, if their classmates already envied the laureates when this generous lady’s terms were still unknown, their envy grew to its highest once they learned the conditions of pleasure and comfort in which this voyage would take place.
As for the nine young men themselves, they were thrilled. Reality was meeting their fondest dreams. After crossing the Atlantic, it would be on board their yacht that they would visit the main islands of the Antillean archipelago.
“And when do we leave?” they said.
“Tomorrow …”
“Today …”
“No, we still have six days,” observed the wisest ones.
“Ah! I wish I were already aboard the Alert!” repeated Magnus Anders. “Aboard our own ship!” replied Tony Renault.
And they did not want to acknowledge that there were still some preparations to be made to prepare for this transoceanic voyage.
In the first place, it was necessary to consult their parents, to ask for and obtain their permission, since it was a matter of sending the laureates, not to the Other world, but all the same to the New one.3 Mr. Julian Ardagh also had to measure up to the task. This expedition, which would last perhaps two and a half months, required him to make certain basic provisions for them; to acquire clothing and more particularly sea gear, boots, sou’westers, polished greatcoats, in a word, all the accoutrements of a sailor.
Then, the director would have to choose the trustworthy person to be responsible for these young men. Granted, they were old enough to behave themselves, reasonable enough to do without a guardian. But it was prudent to add a mentor who would have authority over them. That was indeed the intention of the wise Mrs. Seymour, expressed in her letter, and they had to conform to it.
Needless to say, the families would have to be convinced to agree to the terms Mr. Ardagh would announce to them. Among the young men, some would meet relatives in the Antilles that they had not seen for many years—Hubert Perkins in Antigua, Louis Clodion in Guadeloupe, Niels Harboe in Saint Thomas. It would be an unexpected chance to see each other again, and under exceptionally delightful circumstances.
It is true that these families had been kept informed by the director of the Antillean School. They already knew that a contest would put the various classmates into competition with each other in order to obtain the travel scholarships. After receiving the results, when they learned that the laureates were going to visit the West Indies, Mr. Ardagh was sure it would be like a dream come true for them.
In the meantime, Mr. Ardagh considered the choice he had to make concerning the leader who would be at the head of this traveling class, the mentor whose advice would maintain harmony among these budding Telemachuses.4 The question was not without some complexity. Would he ask the one professor at the Antillean School who seemed to fulfill all the conditions required in this case? But this academic year had not yet ended. Impossible to interrupt classes before vacation. The teaching staff needed to remain intact.
It was for this very reason that Mr. Ardagh did not think he could accompany the nine scholarship-recipients himself. His presence was needed during the last school months and it was important that he attend in person the distribution of diplomas on August 7.
So, apart from the professors and himself, did he have among his staff precisely the perfect person, a serious and reputedly methodical man who would fulfill his duties conscientiously, who deserved all his trust, who was generally liked, and whom the young travelers would gladly accept as mentor?
The question remained to know whether this person would consent to make this trip, if he would be agreeable to venturing to the other side of the sea.
On the morning of June 24, five days before the date set for the departure of the Alert, Mr. Ardagh sent for Mr. Patterson to come to his office for an important discussion.
Mr. Patterson, the Antillean School’s bookkeeper, was busy verifying his accounts from the night before, as was his invariable habit, when Mr. Ardagh summoned him.
Mr. Patterson, lifting his glasses up to his forehead, answered the servant who was standing at the door, saying:
“I will go to the director’s office without wasting a single moment.” And, putting his glasses back in place, Mr. Patterson picked up his pen once more to finish the leg of a “9” that he was writing at the bottom of the expenses column of a large book. Then, with his ebony ruler, he drew a line under the column with numbers whose addition he had just completed. Then, after having lightly shaken his pen over the ink well, he dipped it several times in the lead jar that kept it clean, dried it extremely carefully, placed it near the ruler on his desk, turned the inkwell’s pump to put the ink back in, placed the sheet of carbon paper on the expenses page, taking
