Bernard left then and went to California; but when he arrived there he asked himself why he had come, and was unable to mention any other reason than that he had announced it.

He began to feel restless again, and to drift back to that chronic chagrin which had accompanied him through his long journey in the East.

He succeeded, however, in keeping these unreasonable feelings at bay for some time, and he strove to occupy himself, to take an interest in Californian problems.

Bernard, however, was neither an economist nor a cattle-fancier, and he found that, as the phrase is, there was not a great deal to take hold of.

He wandered about, admired the climate and the big peaches, thought a while of going to Japan, and ended by going to Mexico.