ciently, for his crime, and as Norris is desirous that the matter
shall be dropped, the least I can do is to give in to his wishes. And
now, as I think that after this you will scarcely do any useful work
this afternoon, you may as well go down at once."

A fresh roar of cheering broke out, and then the boys who had been at
school with Frank jumped from their forms and crowded round him, each
striving to grasp his hand, and all shouting words of welcome and
congratulation.

It was some time before Frank could reply to these greetings, so shaken
was he by the scene. On emerging from the schoolroom his old house-mates
urged him to go up to Richards', and the Sixth were invited to accompany
him. Although contrary to the usual rules, an unlimited supply of
shandy-gaff was sent for, and for an hour Frank sat and chatted with
his old schoolfellows, and to their great admiration gave them an
outline of his adventures on the Mississippi, his journey across the
plains, and as a gold-digger in California; then with a glad heart, and
a feeling that he was at last cleared of the cloud which had so long
hung over him, Frank returned to Eaton Square.

His path in life never afterwards crossed that of his cousin. The
latter, after passing through the University with credit, entered the
Bar. Somehow he was not successful there. That he was clever all
allowed, but a cloud seemed to hang over him. The tale of Frank's
reinstallation had gone up from Westminster to the University; his old
schoolfellows there had talked the matter over, and although nothing was
known for certain, somehow the belief that Barkley was the culprit
spread among them.

He had never been popular, and now his old schoolfellows gradually drew
aloof from him. Nothing was ever openly said. The thing was talked of in
whispers, but even whispers, sometimes, are heard; and during his last
year at the University Fred Barkley stood alone among his fellows. The
whispers found their echo in town, and Fred Barkley found that a cloud
rested on him which all his efforts were unable to dissipate. After some
years of useless attempts to make his way, he was glad to accept the
offer of a petty judgeship in India, and there, ten years later, he
died, stabbed to the heart by a Mahomedan dacoit whom he had sentenced
to a term of imprisonment.

A year after his return from America Frank married Alice. Turk, for some
time after his arrival in England, had steadily declined all adv