The fact is, my father’s banking-house was not thriving.  The unlooked-for failure of a firm largely indebted to him had crippled “the house.”  When the Captain imparted this information to me I didn’t trouble myself over the matter.  I supposed—­if I supposed anything—­that all grown-up people had more or less money, when they wanted it.  Whether they inherited it, or whether government supplied them, was not clear to me.  A loose idea that my father had a private gold-mine somewhere or other relieved me of all uneasiness.

I was not far from right.  Every man has within himself a gold-mine whose riches are limited only by his own industry.  It is true, it sometimes happens that industry does not avail, if a man lacks that something which, for want of a better name, we call Luck.  My father was a person of untiring energy and ability; but he had no luck.  To use a Rivermouth saying, he was always catching sculpins when everyone else with the same bait was catching mackerel.

It was more than two years since I had seen my parents.  I felt that I could not bear a longer separation.  Every letter from New Orleans—­we got two or three a month—­gave me a fit of homesickness; and when it was definitely settled that my father and mother were to remain in the South another twelvemonth, I resolved to go to them.

Since Binny Wallace’s death, Pepper Whitcomb had been my fidus Achates; we occupied desks near each other at school, and were always together in play hours.  We rigged a twine telegraph from his garret window to the scuttle of the Nutter House, and sent messages to each other in a match-box.  We shared our pocket-money and our secrets-those amazing secrets which boys have.  We met in lonely places by stealth, and parted like conspirators; we couldn’t buy a jackknife or build a kite without throwing an air of mystery and guilt over the transaction.

I naturally hastened to lay my New Orleans project before Pepper Whitcomb, having dragged him for that purpose to a secluded spot in the dark pine woods outside the town.  Pepper listened to me with a gravity which he will not be able to surpass when he becomes Chief Justice, and strongly advised me to go.

“The summer vacation,” said Pepper, “lasts six weeks; that will give you a fortnight to spend in New Orleans, allowing two weeks each way for the journey.”

I wrung his hand and begged him to accompany me, offering to defray all the expenses.  I wasn’t anything if I wasn’t princely in those days.  After considerable urging, he consented to go on terms so liberal.  The whole thing was arranged; there was nothing to do now but to advise Captain Nutter of my plan, which I did the next day.

The possibility that he might oppose the tour never entered my head.  I was therefore totally unprepared for the vigorous negative which met my proposal.  I was deeply mortified, moreover, for there was Pepper Whitcomb on the wharf, at the foot of the street, waiting for me to come and let him know what day we were to start.