Comma or no comma before a conjunction?

Dear users,

I was reading a book and came across this clause.

“For my part I appreciated the time they had given me, and felt happy just to be in a place as attractive and atmospheric as Cambridge.”

My question is about this comma. Why is this comma before the conjunction and? We don’t have a subject in the second clause, although it’s implicite that it’s I. The first part of the sentence is an independent clause. The second part is a dependent clause(?). Is the the use of this comma correct?

I’d appreciate your help.

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Here is my version:

For my part, I appreciated the time they had given me and was glad to be in such an attractive and atmospheric place as Cambridge.

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Here goes my analysis and observation.

  1. It’s a compound-complex sentence with two independent clauses and one dependent clause.
  2. The subject for both the independent clauses is I.
  3. The comma can be called an Oxford comma.
  4. The comma, most probably, is to avoid the possibility of the sentence being read as ‘they had given me and felt happy’ where they is the subject while the actual sentence is: 'I appreciated the time (they had given me), and felt happy’ where I is the subject.
    I hope it makes sense.
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The so called Oxford comma. Lol. Thanks a lot for the help, Torsten and Anglophile. I appreciate it.

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