Had the young man been aware with whom he had to deal, could he have known that the shares in the lead mine were made an excuse for probing him as to his own knowledge of the various investments made by his father; more than all, had he imagined that instead of a friend bound to his interests by personal regard, as well as by gratitude to his father, his guardian was a mean, selfish man, thinking only how much he could be benefited, he would never have laid himself open by his perfect frankness, as the mark of a designing villain. Frank Edmond, like his father before him, was totally deceived in the character of Monson P. Tracy. Judging the man from himself, and from what appeared on the surface, Mr. Roswell Edmond formed an opinion of what his old protégé ought to be, rather than of what he was. Indeed, having had reason to be fully satisfied with the business capacity of his former clerk, he rested on the assurance that in the pecuniary responsibilities of his wards, he would spare no pains in the care of their fortune. Unfortunately the example of Mr. Edmond was followed by a wealthy widow—named Quincy, who made Mr. Tracy guardian to her son, a young man of nineteen, with "phet roviso" that the child was not to have control of his fortune until his twenty-fifth year. There were some men, Mr. McKinstry among them, who shook their heads, and prognosticated evil in the future for the wards. While others, not so shrewd and discriminating, were willing to adopt Monson P. Tracy's opinion of himself and believe him to be a man of unflinching integrity. Three months after Frank's conversation with his guardian, he received notice through a friend that he was reported as one of the largest owners in the lead mines. The speculation by shrewd financiers was considered wild in the extreme, the difficulty of access to the locality being almost insurmountable. In consequence of this intelligence, the collegian visited the city, for the purpose of ascertaining its truth. He called at his guardian's counting-room on three successive occasions, but found him absent, or too much engaged to see him. He then wrote, requesting the gentleman to appoint an hour for an interview. This meeting proved wholly unsatisfactory. Mr. Tracy assumed the high ground of acting according to the instructions of the will. He said he had only consulted his ward on a former occasion out of courtesy, and not because he felt incompetent to decide what was best for their interests. And he requested, in a lofty tone, that there might be no further interference in his business. The interview gave the student great uneasiness, especially as through the kindness of the same friend who had before written him, he obtained access to the list of names of the lead mine stock-holders, and was startled to find that twenty thousand dollars worth of shares was accredited to him.