12 
THOMAS J. COMBER. 
Mr. Hodder. We insert his acknowledgment as 
indicating the ingenuousness of Mr. Comber s nature, 
always so strikingly characteristic, as well as showing 
the mutual regard and esteem existing between the 
donor and recipient. 
“ My dear Mr. Hodder, — Please excuse our not 
writing before, and accept our thanks for your kind- 
ness in sending us the pretty trinkets, which we shall 
both greatly value. They made me wear a lavender 
tie on my wedding day, or I should have had my 
scarf-pin in a cravat ; but Minnie wore her necklet 
and locket on the occasion. We both like very much 
the presents you sent us ; and it is very pleasant to 
me to stumble across my kind old teacher again. 
Thank you for your good wishes on behalf of our- 
selves and our work. I do trust the Lord will fulfil 
all our hopes concerning the future. Let Him pros- 
per us as He will ; we just go to do His work.— - 
With affectionate regards to you and Mrs. Hodder 
from us both, we remain, dear Mr. Hodder, yours 
very sincerely, TOM and MINNIE COMBER.” 
But to return, circumstances occasioning the retire- 
ment of Mr. Hodder, Mr. Rickards succeeded him in 
his class. As already stated, Tom was then about 
fourteen — an age when, with his frank nature and 
previous home training, he was likely to prove 
susceptible to the helpful influence of a man like 
Mr. Rickards. It will be seen in the correspondence 
recorded in the following pages, how immense was 
the obligation under which he ever felt his faithful 
teacher had placed him. 
The reader will be interested in perusing the 
following reminiscences kindly supplied by Mr. 
Rickards himself, in which amongst other particulars, 
the circumstances are fully described that determined 
Tom CombePs future career. Before giving these 
reminiscences, it may fittingly be observed that years 
