A bright voice from above stairs replies, “I just need to pack a few last-minute instruments. Be right there.”
Two minutes later a young man bounds down the stairs and hugs his waiting father. “Thank you for agreeing to fund my part of this excursion. I promise I will make the most of it. Take care while I am gone; I will try to send letters.”
“Please, God, watch over my son.” Father silently prays.
“Isn’t Beagle an odd name for a ship?” muses Charles.