y strong interest in bringing you into
discredit. Besides there were only, you say, five people who had any
knowledge of this affair, and of your need for the money. None of the
other four had the slightest possible interest in bringing you into
disgrace; he had a very strong interest, and, take my word for it, your
cousin is at the bottom of the whole affair."

"I cannot believe it," Frank said, rising from his chair and pacing up
and down the verandah; "if I thought so I would return to England by the
next ship and have it out with him."

"But you have no shadow of proof," Mr. Willcox said, "it is a matter of
suspicion only. Even had the idea occurred to you at first, you would
only have injured yourself by stating it, for it would have been
regarded as a hideous aggravation of your crime to bring such a charge
against your cousin unsupported by a shadow of proof. No; now you have
taken your line you must go through with it, and trust to time to right
you. It is a suspicion only, but you mark my words, if the mystery is
ever solved it will be found that your cousin was at the bottom of it."

Frank spent a very pleasant week at the charming residence of Mr.
Willcox. The latter entertained a good deal, and Frank met at his house
several of the leading merchants of New Orleans, and acquired a good
deal of knowledge of the state of the country. Most of them were
incredulous as to the stories of the abundance of gold in California.
That gold had been discovered they did not deny; but they were of
opinion that the find would be an isolated one, and that ruin would fall
upon the crowds who were hastening either across the continent, or by
ship _via_ Panama, to the new Eldorado. Several of them tried to
dissuade Frank from his intention of going thither, and more than one
offered to place him in their counting-houses, or to procure him
employment of other kind.

Frank, however, was firm, for he was going, not for the sake of making
money, but of finding adventure and excitement. He went down every day
to the wharf and superintended the loading of the scows, and at the end
of ten days he resumed his boatman's clothes and took his place on one
of the scows. Hiram accompanied him, with eight negroes, two for each
flat. A tug took them in tow, and they started up the river. Mr. Willcox
was to follow by a steamer next day, and would arrive at Omaha some time
before them, and have time to choose and buy a lot of land for his
st