CHAPTER ONE.ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA.BEGINS WITH DIFFERENCES OF OPINION.If ever there was a man in this world who was passionately fond ofpainting and cut out for a painter, that man was Frank Allfrey; butfate, in the form of an old uncle, had decided that Frank should notfollow the bent of his inclinations.We introduce our hero to the reader at the interesting age of eighteen,but, long before that period of life, he had shown the powerful leaningof his spirit. All his school-books were covered with heads of dogs,horses, and portraits of his companions. Most of his story-books wereillustrated with coloured engravings, the colouring of which had beenthe work of his busy hand, and the walls of his nursery were decoratedwith cartoons, done in charcoal, which partial friends of the familysometimes declared were worthy of Raphael.At the age of thirteen, his uncle--for the poor fellow was an orphan--asked him one day what he would like to be. This was an extraordinarycondescension on the part of Mr Allfrey, senior, who was a grim,hard-featured man, with little or no soul to speak of, and with anenormously large ill-favoured body. The boy, although taken bysurprise--for his uncle seldom addressed him on any subject,--answeredpromptly, "I'd like to be an artist, sir.""A what?""An artist.""Get along, you goose!"This was all that was said at the time, and as it is the onlyconversation which is certainly known to have taken place between theuncle and nephew during the early youth of the latter, we have ventured,at the risk of being tedious, to give the whole of it.Frank was one of those unfortunates who are styled "neglected boys." Hewas naturally sharp-witted, active in mind and body, good-tempered, andwell disposed, but disinclined to study, and fond of physical exertion.He might have been a great man had he been looked after in youth, but noone looked after him. He was an infant when his father and mother diedand left him to the care of his uncle, who cared not for him, but lefthim to care for himself, having, as he conceived, done his duty towardshim when he had supplied him with food, clothing, and lodging, and paidhis school fees. No blame, therefore, to poor Frank that he grew up ahalf-educated youth, without fixed habits of study or thought, and withlittle capacity for close or prolonged mental exertion.