Digging for Gold | Page 2

nothing, his sad
condition was due much more to his uncle's neglect than to his own
perversity. He did not, however, give utterance to the thought, because
he was of a respectful nature; he merely flushed and said,--"Really,
uncle, you do me injustice. I may not be fit for much, and every day I

live I feel bitterly the evil of a neglected education, but--"
"It's well, at all events," interrupted Mr Allfrey, "that you admit the fact
of your having neglected it. That gives you some chance of
amendment."
Frank flushed again and drew his breath shortly; after a moment's
silence he went on:--
"But if I am not fit for much, I am certainly fit for something. I have
only a smattering of Latin and Greek, it is true, and a very slight
knowledge of French, but, if I am to believe my teacher's reports, I am
not a bad arithmetician, and I know a good deal of mathematics,
besides being a pretty fair penman."
"Humph! well, but you know you have said that you don't want to enter
a mercantile or engineer's office, and a smattering of Latin and Greek
will not do for the learned professions. What, therefore, do you propose
to yourself, the army, eh? it is the only opening left, because you are
now too old for the navy."
"I wish to be an artist," said Frank with some firmness.
"I thought so; the old story. No, sir, you shall never be an artist--at least
not with my consent. Why, do you suppose that because you can
scribble caricatures on the fly-leaves of your books you have
necessarily the genius of Rubens or Titian?"
"Not quite," replied Frank, smiling in spite of himself at the irascibility
of the old gentleman, "and yet I presume that Rubens and Titian began
to paint before either themselves or others were aware of the fact that
they possessed any genius at all."
"Tut, tut," cried Mr Allfrey impatiently, "but what have you ever done,
boy, to show your ability to paint?"
"I have studied much, uncle," said Frank eagerly, "although I have said
little to you about the matter, knowing your objection to it; but if you

would condescend to look at a few of my drawings from nature, I
think--"
"Drawing from nature," cried Mr Allfrey with a look of supreme
contempt, "what do I care for nature? What have you to do with nature
in this nineteenth century? Nature, sir, is only fit for savages. There is
nothing natural now-a-days. Why, what do you suppose would become
of my ledger and cash-book, my office and business, if I and my clerks
raved about nature as you do? A fig for nature!--the less you study it
the better. I never do."
"Excuse me, sir," said Frank respectfully, "if I refuse to believe you,
because I have heard you frequently express to friends your admiration
of the view from your own drawing-room window--"
"Of course you have, you goose, and you ought to have known that that
was a mere bit of conventional humbug, because, since one is
constrained unavoidably to live in a world full of monstrous
contradictions, it is necessary to fall in with its habits. You ought to
know that it is customary to express admiration for a fine view."
"You spoke as if you felt what you said," replied Frank, "and I am
certain that there are thousands of men in the position of yourself and
your clerks who delight in nature in all her varied aspects; who,
because they unfortunately see so little of her in town, make it their
ambition to have cottages in the country when they can afford it, and
many of whom decorate their walls with representations of nature."
"Frank," said Mr Allfrey, somewhat solemnly, as he turned his gaze
full on the animated face of his nephew, "if I could get you put into a
lunatic asylum without a doctor's certificate I would do so without
delay, but, that being impossible just now--although I think it will be
not only possible but necessary ere long--I have to make you a final
proposal. It is this:--that, as you express such a powerful objection to
enter an office in this country, you should go abroad and see whether a
three-legged stool is more attractive in foreign parts than it is in
England. Now, I happen to have a friend in California. If your
geography has not been neglected as much as your Latin, you will

remember that this country lies on the western seaboard of North
America, not far from those gold-fields which have been recently
turning the world upside-down. Will you go?"
"I shall be delighted to go," said Frank with enthusiasm.
"Eh!" exclaimed Mr Allfrey, with a look of surprise, as