AEEIVAL AT LIVERPOOL. 263 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



THE EETUKN. 



WHEN at length the time arrived for Lawrence and John 

 to set out on their return to America, John had learned so 

 much about the philosophy of light, both from the books 

 which he had read upon the subject, and from the conver- 

 sations which he had held with Lawrence, and he had, 

 moreover, fixed so firmly in his mind what he had learned 

 by the notes of conversations, and the other articles which 

 he had written in his book, that he was greatly interested 

 in the subject. Indeed, there were some indications, once 

 or twice, as Lawrence observed, of his beginning to feel a 

 little vanity and self-conceit in view of the progress which 

 he had made. 



After traveling slowly and by a somewhat circuitous 

 route through France and England, Lawrence and John ar- 

 rived at length at Liverpool, a day or two before the sail- 

 ing of the steamer in which they had taken passage for 

 America. The appointed day at length arrived, and they 

 went on board with the other passengers, and the steamer 

 set sail. 



It was late in the fall when this return voyage was made, 

 and the weather for several days was stormy, and the sea 

 rough. On this account, and also because this was the re- 

 turn voyage, the passengers were more quiet, and kept by 

 themselves more than on the voyage out that is, out as 

 the Americans call it, though the English always call the 

 voyage to America the outward one, and that from Amer- 

 ica to England the voyage home. The Americans are usu- 

 ally much more quiet, and much less inclined to make ac- 



