The professor and Ned Harviss had many adventures together during college and for that reason, the professor knew that there was a big possibility that Ned could help him with the new manuscript.
This certainty was intensified when the professor went to meet Ned and realized that his friend received him very warmly, showing that he was still interested in venturing along with him.
This question is related to the short story "The Descent of Man" by Edith Wharton. In this story we can see the following facts:
Based on this, we can conclude that the professor hoped that Ned would help him with the manuscript, as he remembered how adventurous he and Ned were and the publication of this manuscript would be a great adventure for them.
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