g the day before. He was
astonished when he learned that it came from Bert Gordon, and set his
wits at work to conjure up some plan, by which he might obtain
possession of the rest. He went over to the General's at once, and
there learned that Don and Bert had gone down to the landing with
their father, where they were awaiting the arrival of two cousins,
whom they were expecting from the North. Godfrey followed them there
with all haste, sought an interview with Don, and by telling him some
plausible story, induced him to advance the other five dollars.
Godfrey hoped in this way to get the start of Dan and enjoy his
ill-gotten gains all by himself, but Dan was there and saw it all,
and his father, alarmed by the look he saw on his face, divided the
money with him. Of course David knew nothing of this. He was saving
those ten dollars for his mother. He did not expect to spend a cent
of it on himself; and how he first learned of his loss and what was
done about it, perhaps we shall see as our story progresses.

The two young gentlemen, Clarence and Marshall Gordon, for whom Don
and Bert were waiting, and who landed from the steamer, Emma Deane,
that morning, had been sent away from the city by their father, in
order that they might be out of the way of temptation; but, as it
happened, one of them ran directly into it. Clarence, the older, was
anything but a model boy. He was much addicted to ale and cigars, and
thought of nothing in the world so much as money. He was a
spendthrift, and, like Godfrey Evans, had a great desire to be rich,
but he never thought of working and saving in order to gain the
wished-for end. This good old-fashioned and safe way was too long and
tedious for him, and he was constantly on the lookout for a short
road to wealth and consequent happiness. Before he had been
twenty-four hours under his uncle's roof, he thought he had
discovered it, and this was the way it came about:

Clarence and his brother arrived at the General's house in the
forenoon, and before night came, the former wished most heartily that
he had stayed at home. He was lonely and utterly disgusted with the
quiet of the country, and the old-fashioned, prosy way his two
cousins had of enjoying themselves. Music, horseback-riding, hunting,
fishing and visiting made up the round of their amusements, and
Clarence could see no fun in such things. As soon as it grew dark he
slipped out of the house, and leaning over a fence that ran