When I was 27 years old, I worked for a mining agent in San Francisco. Every Saturday afternoon, when the stock market closes, all the time is mine. I like to go to the bay by boat to kill time. One day, I drove a little far and drifted to the vast sea. Just as night fell and I was about to lose hope, a schooner bound for London saved me. The long journey was stormy, and they asked me to be an ordinary sailor instead of a boat ticket. When I arrived in London, I was wrapped in rags and there was only one dollar left in my pocket. I have food and shelter. I spent 24 hours on this dollar. I will be hungry and homeless for the next 24 hours.

At about ten o'clock the next morning, I was dressed in rags and hungry, wandering around Portland Street. At this time, a nanny led the child through, and the child threw the big fragrant pear that he had just bitten into the sewer. Needless to say, I stopped and covered the dirty treasure with eager eyes. My mouth is watering and my stomach is sticking out, and I am wholeheartedly begging for this baby. However, when I move and want to pick pears, I always have a pair of passing eyes. Naturally, I stood up straight again, as if nothing had happened, as if I had never made an idea on that rotten pear. The play was played again and again, but I couldn't get the pear. I was in pain, and T was about to put down his courage and tear his face to catch pears when a window behind me opened and a gentleman said from the inside:

"Please come here."

A well-dressed servant took me in and took me to a luxurious room where two elderly gentlemen sat. They sent the servant away and asked me to sit down. They have just had breakfast. Looking at the leftovers, I can hardly breathe. With these foods present, I couldn't concentrate anyway, but I wasn't invited to taste them, so I had to put up with it as much as I could.

It took me many days to understand what just happened here, but now I'll tell you right away. The old brothers argued about one thing for two days, and finally they agreed to make a bet to show the difference-any Englishman can get it by betting.

Eldest brother said that this man would starve to death; My brother said he wouldn't starve to death. Later, my brother said that he was willing to bet 20,000 pounds that the man could live for 30 days with a million-dollar bill anyway, and he wouldn't go to prison. The eldest brother agreed to bet that the younger brother would go to the Bank of England to buy the big bills back. Then, the two brothers sat in front of the window all day, hoping to find a suitable person who can stand big bills.

They examined the faces that passed by the window. Some are honest, but not smart enough; Some are smart enough, but not honest enough; There are many smart and honest people, but they are not completely poor; Wait until a poor man. You are not a foreigner, you can't always be satisfied. Just then, I came; They both decided that I had all the conditions, so they unanimously chose me; But I want to know what I am doing here. They started asking me some personal questions and soon found out my background. Finally, they told me that I was just what they wanted. I said, I'm really happy, but I don't know what this means. At this time, one of them handed me an envelope and said that I would know when I opened it. I was about to open it, but he wouldn't let me open it; Let me take it to my place and have a closer look. Don't act in a hurry and don't panic. I was full of doubts and wanted to introduce my conversation to the outside world, but they wouldn't. I have to go out with a feeling of being insulted and hurt. They obviously amused themselves and made fun of me. However, I still have to follow them, and the situation at this time does not allow me to lose my temper with these rich people.

I could have picked up the pear and eaten it blatantly, but now it has disappeared without a trace; I lost my pear because of that unlucky job. I am angry with those two people when I think about it. When I walked out of sight of the house, I opened the envelope and found money inside! Seriously, at this time, I have special respect for them! I can't wait to put the letter and money in my vest pocket and run to the nearest snack bar. Ok, this meal is fierce! Finally, I can't hold anything in my stomach. I took out the bill and unfolded it. I almost fainted after only one look. Five million dollars! Boy, I'm confused

I stared at the big bill and felt dizzy. It must have taken me a minute to wake up. At this time, the first thing that caught my eye was the owner of the snack bar. His eyes were fixed on the big bill like a bolt from the blue. He is praying to God wholeheartedly, as if he can't move his hands or feet. I suddenly had a brainwave and did what should be done according to human nature at this time. I handed him the big bill and said cautiously, "Please give me the change."

He returned to his normal state, repeatedly apologizing that this big ticket could not be exchanged, and he would not accept whatever I said. He wanted to see it in his heart and kept looking at the big ticket; My eyes don't seem to see enough, but I dare not touch it with trepidation, just like ordinary people will lose their lives as soon as they pick up the fairy dust on that ticket. I said:

"I'm sorry to trouble you, but it has to be done. Please give me your change. I didn't bring any other tickets. "

He said it doesn't matter, it's not worth mentioning, let's talk about it later. I said, I won't come here again for a while; But he said it doesn't matter, he can wait, and I can come whenever I want, order whatever I want, and settle this account whenever I want. He said, I am willing to dress like this and play a joke on the people just for fun, so he won't trust a rich gentleman like me. At this moment, another customer came in. The owner of the snack bar motioned me to put away the Big Mac, and then bowed me out all the time.

Do you know anything about the future? I let nature take its course, buy whatever I want, and shout "change!" after eating. Within a week, I got all the clothes I needed to enjoy the glory and settled down in an expensive hotel in Hanover Square. I had dinner there, but I went to Harris snack bar for a light meal in the morning. That's where I first ate with a million-pound bill. I helped Harris. It is reported that the eccentric foreigner with millions of money in his vest pocket is the god of wealth here. That's enough. This used to be a poor snack bar, barely making a living, but now it is famous and full of customers. Harris was so grateful that he insisted on lending me money and forbade me to refuse. Therefore, although I am poor, I am not shy in my pocket and live a luxurious and ostentatious life. I am also playing drums in my heart, thinking that maybe one day I will give away the clues, but it is useless to go ahead. You see, this is pure nonsense, but with this sense of crisis, it shows something serious, sad and sad. After nightfall, this sadness always comes forward in the dark, warning me and threatening me; Let me cry, toss and turn, can't sleep at night. However, when the day is full of joy, these tragic factors disappear without a trace. I am ecstatic, as if I were drunk.

This is not surprising; I have become a prominent figure in this world metropolis, and my thoughts are not just fragments. I have completely changed them. No matter which newspaper you open, whether in England, Scotland or Ireland, you will always see one or two pieces of news about "people with millions of pounds in their pockets" and their latest words and deeds. At the beginning, these messages about me were put on the tail of the gossip column; Then I passed the gentlemen, then the second baron, and then the baron. In this way, my status rose higher and higher, and my reputation became louder and louder until I couldn't reach a higher place. At this point, I have lived under the royal family and above the duke; Although not as good as the Archbishop of England, he can look down on all the clergy except him. Remember, before that, I had no reputation; I can only say that I am famous. At this moment, the climax came out-just like a general-and in an instant, my fleeting reputation turned into an eternal reputation: that clumsy painting published my cartoon! Yes, now I have achieved success and gained a firm foothold. There may be mocking people, but they all show respect, neither out of line nor rude; Some people may laugh, but no one laughs. Those days are over. Clumsy tore off my clothes from the rope and was bargaining with a guard in the Tower of London. Well, you can imagine a young man who has been unknown, and all of a sudden, his every word will spread all over the place; Wherever you go, you can hear people saying to each other, "That's him walking!" " After breakfast, people have been surrounded by three floors outside; As soon as they appeared in the box, hundreds of telescopes glanced at them uniformly. Hey, I've been out of the spotlight all day-I can say it's just me.

You see, I still have that shabby suit, and I wear it from time to time just to savor the fun of the past: I bought some small things first, then got angry, and finally killed the right with that million-dollar bill. However, I can't keep this fun. My clothes are very famous in Pictorial. As soon as I put it on the street, a large group of people followed me. I just want to buy something, and before I can take out that million-dollar bill, the boss will give me the whole store on credit.

About ten days after I became famous, I went to visit the American envoy and wanted to help my country. He received me with enthusiasm commensurate with my peers and criticized me for serving my country too late. The minister said that he was going to hold a banquet that night, and it happened that a guest was absent due to illness. Only by filling the vacancy of this guest can I get the minister's forgiveness. After I promised, I chatted with the minister. Speaking of it, it turns out that he and my father grew up together and later studied at Yale University. They were good friends until my father died. So, he asked me to visit his house whenever I was free. Of course I would.

Seriously, I am not only willing, but also very happy. Because if anything happens to me in the future, he may be able to save me from extinction; I don't know exactly how he saved me, but maybe he can figure something out. Things have come to this, I can't risk telling him everything about myself; If I had met him at the beginning of this adventure in London, I would have made it clear at once. No, I dare not say now; I'm too deep to tell the truth to my new friends. However, in my own opinion, it is not so deep as to be completely bottomless. You know, this is because I am very careful not to let all my foreign debts exceed my ability to pay-that is, not to exceed my share of wages. Of course, I don't know what the salary is, but I am sure and can imagine one thing: if I help win this gambling game, I can choose any position within the tycoon's authority, as long as I can do it-of course I can do it; I have no doubt. I don't care about the bet they made; I must be very lucky. As for wages, I think there will always be 600 to 1000 pounds a year; Even if you only get 600 pounds in the first year, you will get a raise every other year. When my ability is proved, my salary can always be increased to 1000. Although everyone wanted to lend me money, I found various excuses to politely decline a large part; In this way, I only owe 300 pounds in cash, plus 300 pounds in living expenses and credit. I believe that as long as I am careful and frugal, next year's salary will make up for the rest of my life. Besides, I'm really careful and never lavish. As long as my boss comes back at the end of this month, everything will be fine; At that time, I can immediately repay the debts to the creditors with my salary for the previous two years, and I can start working immediately.

We had a good time; Of course it's us.-miss rum and me. I drove her out of her mind. As long as I have more than two cards in my hand, I can't count them clearly I can't tell when my score has reached the top, and then I will insert it from the next row. If I play like this, I will lose the handle. Fortunately, the girls are in exactly the same situation as me. You got it? So neither of us can get the top marks, and we can't tell the difference between winning and losing. Neither of us cares, and we don't want to think about what's going on. We just feel happy with each other, and we don't care about the rest, and we don't want to disappoint people. So I told her-I really told her-that I loved her; What about her-hey, her hair is red with shame, but she likes it; She did it. She likes it. Ah, I have never experienced such a wonderful night! Every time I finish playing a hand of cards, when I count them, I always embellish them. If she counts points, she also counts cards tacitly like me. Well, even if I say "use two cards", I will add "Wow, you look great!" As for her, she said, "Fifteen gets two points, fifteen gets four points, fifteen gets six points, a pair gets eight points, and eight points is sixteen points." She asked, "Did you get it right?" -Her eyes glanced at me behind her eyelashes. You don't know: so gentle and lovely. Oh, that's great!

However, I am honest and aboveboard with her. I told her that I didn't even have a penny, but I had a million-dollar bill that she had heard of, and it wasn't mine, which made her curious. I quietly told her the whole story and made her laugh half to death. I can't figure out what she is laughing at, anyway, she just giggles; Every half minute, something new makes her feel coke, so I have to shut up and give her a chance to calm down. Hey, she's laughing herself silly-she really is; I have never seen such a smile. I mean, I've never seen a painful story-a person's troubles, anxieties and worries-have such an effect. Seeing that she can be so happy when she has nothing to be happy about, my love for her is getting out of control; You see, according to the situation at that time, maybe I will need such a wife soon. Of course, I also told her that we have to wait for two years until I make up the deficit with my own salary; But she doesn't care about this. She just hopes that I can be as careful as possible on the issue of expenditure, and don't let our expenditure in the third year be even a little risky. Then, she became a little worried. She wants to know if I made a mistake and overestimated the starting salary for the first year, which was higher than what I got. This makes sense, which has slightly reduced my self-confidence by half; At the same time, it inspired me to come up with a good idea, so I just said, "My dear Portia, when I meet two old gentlemen, would you like to go with me?" She hesitated a little, but still said, "As long as it can make you more practical, I am willing, willing. But-do you think this is appropriate? " "I don't know if it's appropriate-I'm afraid it's not appropriate. But, you know, it matters a lot whether you go or not, so-""Then don't worry about whether it's appropriate or not, I'll just go, "she said in a lovely heroic tone. "Oh, I'm so glad to think that I can help you!" "My dear, what should I do? Hey, it's up to you. You are so beautiful, so lovely, so charming. With you coming with me, I will definitely raise my salary to make those two good guys lose their money, lose their money and be willing. " Oh! You didn't see her at that time: her face was full of spring scenery and her eyes were shining with happiness! "pain in the ass, light will speak well! You don't even have a word of truth. Anyway, I will go with you. Maybe this will teach you a lesson: don't expect people to look at you the way you look at them. "

Have the doubts in my heart been swept away? Am I confident again? You can judge from this: I privately raised my first year's salary to 1200. But I didn't tell him: I'm going to save it to surprise her.

On the way home, I was like stepping on cotton, and nothing Hastings said reached my ears. I didn't wake up until Hastings followed me into my living room and praised everything, luxury and comfort. "Let me stand here for a while and feast my eyes. Boy! This is the palace.-This is the palace! You have everything you want, warm charcoal fire, and even dinner is ready. Henry, this not only makes me understand how rich you are; It also made me thoroughly understand how poor I am-extremely poor, miserable, useless, no way out, no hope! "

Damn it! This statement makes me shudder. His words woke me up like a dream, and I realized that I was standing on the crust half an inch thick, and below it was the crater. I didn't know I was dreaming-that is, I didn't allow myself to take the time to make it clear; But now-honey! I am in debt, penniless, and have a girl's good or bad luck in my hand, but my future is uncertain. There is only one salary that may be painting cakes to satisfy hunger-well, maybe not at all-and it can't be redeemed now! Alas, alas, alas, I am finished, hopeless, hopeless! "Henry, as long as your daily income is dispersed casually, you can-""Hum, my daily income! Come on, drink this hot wine and cheer up. Let's drink a toast! Oh, no-you're still hungry; Sit down-""I'm not hungry, I'm too hungry. I have been unable to eat these days; However, I will drink enough with you until I get down. Fuck! " "A cup, I company with! Are you ready? Work together! Lloyd, tell me something about yourself while I mix the wine. " "Tell me about it? Why, say it again? " "Besides? What does this mean? " "Hey, I mean, do you want to hear the whole story?" "I want to hear it again? This makes me very confused. Wait, stop drinking this yellow soup. You can't drink any more. " "Hey, Henry, you startled me. Didn't I tell you everything on the way here? " "You?" Yes, I am. "If I hear a word, I will die a natural death." "Henry, this is very serious. Don't mess with me. What the hell were you doing at the minister's house just now? " I suddenly understood, I dare to do and dare to tell the truth. "I captured the cutest girl in the world!"

So he rushed to shake hands with me, shaking and shaking, shaking his hand hurts; We walked three miles, and he was telling stories all the way. I didn't hear a word about it: he didn't blame me for it. Then, the nice guy sat down and told the story from the beginning. To make a long story short, his experience is this: when he came to England, he thought there were opportunities everywhere; He issued shares on behalf of Gould and Gali Mining Company, and sold mining rights for prospectors. He owned all the parts exceeding one million. He did his best, used all the connections, exhausted all the aboveboard means, and spent almost all his money. However, he has not found a capitalist who is willing to listen to his lobbying. His agency will expire at the end of this month, and he will be finished. At this time, he jumped up and shouted, "Henry, you can help me!" " You can save me. You are the only person in the world who can save me. Can you help me? Can you pull? "Tell me what I can do for you. Just say it, man. " "Give me one million, plus the fare home, in my' institution'! No, don't refuse! "

I can't describe the pain. A word has come to my lips: "Lloyd, I'm a beggar myself-I'm even broke and heavily in debt." However, at this moment, an idea flashed through my mind like lightning Shi Huo. I gritted my teeth and tried to calm myself down until I was as calm as a capitalist. I said in the calm tone of a businessman, "Lloyd, let me give you a hand-""Then I will be saved! God bless you forever! One day-""Lloyd, let me finish. I want to help you, but not like that; You have suffered so much and taken so many risks. It's unfair of you to do that. I don't need to buy mines; In a business center like London, I can make money without doing that; I have never done such a business before and now; But I have an idea. I know that mine like the back of my hand; I know mine is valuable, and anyone can make me swear. You can sell it in my name at will, and you can sell 3 million cash in two or three weeks. Let's split it fifty-fifty. "

You don't know, if I hadn't tripped and tied him up, he would have trampled all my furniture into firewood and smashed all the pots and pans in that ecstasy.

Later he said, "I can use your name! Your name.-Nice! Hey, these rich Londoners are bound to flock here, and they have to compete for shares! I earned it, I made it, and I will never forget you in my life! "

In 24 hours, the city of London is boiling! Do nothing else every day. I just sat in my room and said to the person who came to ask, "Yes, I told him. If anyone asks, come to me. " I know this man and I know this mine. His character is impeccable, and the value of the mine exceeds what he wants. "

At the same time, I accompany Portia at the minister's residence every night. I didn't say a word to her about the mine; I kept it as a surprise for her. We talked about wages; There is nothing but salary and love; Sometimes talk about love, sometimes talk about salary, sometimes both. Ah! The minister's wife and daughter are very considerate of us and always try their best not to disturb us, leaving him no doubt-you see, how lovely they are!

Finally, by the end of that month, I had a million dollars in my account at the National Bank of London, and so did Hastings. When I wore the most decent clothes and drove past the house on Portland Avenue, from all indications, my two buddies came back; I met my dearest person at the minister's house, and when I hurried back, I talked enthusiastically about salary. Excitement and anxiety make her look particularly evil. I said, "honey, in the way you are now, it is a sin for me to ask for a salary below 3 thousand pounds." "Henry, Henry, don't ruin us!" "You don't be afraid. Keep it like this. Look at me. Everything will be fine. " As a result, along the way, I was asked to cheer her up with high-profile words, but she kept throwing cold water on me; She said, "well, please remember that if we charge too much, we may not get any salary at all;" What can we do then? Aren't we cornered and have no livelihood? "

It was the servant who led us in, and the two old gentlemen were there. They were surprised to see a stunner following me, but I said, "it's nothing, gentlemen;" She is my backbone and helper in the future. "

So I introduced them to her, and when I mentioned them, I called them by their first names. They are not surprised by this, because they know that I must have checked the catalogue. They offered their seats, were extremely polite to me, enthusiastically eliminated Bertie's embarrassment and made her try to relax. Then I said, "gentlemen, I'm ready for the report." "We are glad to hear your report," said my gentleman, "so my brother Jaber and I bet we can know. If you let me win, you can get a position within my authority. Did you bring that one million pound note? " "Here you are, sir," I handed him the money. "I won!" He patted Jaber on the back and shouted. "Brother, what can you say now?" "I have to say that he really survived, and I lost twenty thousand pounds. I can't believe it. " "One more thing," I said. "It's a long story. I ask you to allow me to come again and talk about my experience this month in detail. I promise it's worth listening to. Also, look at this. " "What, boy! Certificate of deposit of 200,000 pounds. Is this yours? " "It's mine. I used your small loan for 30 days and made money. As for the bill itself, I just use it to buy snacks and pay them as change. " "Wow, this is amazing, incredible, young man!" "No problem, I have everything according to. Don't think that what I said is a fable. " However, this time it was Portia's turn to be surprised. She opened her eyes wide and said, "Henry, is this really your money?" Have you been keeping it from me these days? ""I really didn't tell you, dear. However, I think you will forgive me. " She pursed her upper lip and said, "Don't be too sure. You naughty boy, how dare you lie to me like this! " "Ah, it will be over soon, dear, it will be over soon; You know, just for fun. Ok, let's continue. " "Wait a minute, wait a minute! Also, what about that position? I must give you that position. "My husband said." Well, "I said," I appreciate it, but I really don't need to find that job again. " "You can choose a top position within my authority." "Thank you, thank you, I sincerely thank you. However, I don't want a good position. " "Henry, I feel sorry for you. Don't let this good gentleman down. Do you want me to thank you for you? " "Of course, my dear, as long as you can do better. Look at you. " She walked up to my gentleman, leaned into his arms, put her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. The two gentlemen laughed, but I was at a loss. I'm so stupid. Portia said, "Dad, he said there is no position he wants within your authority. I'm really sad, like-""My baby, is he your father? " "Yes, he is my stepfather, the best stepfather in the history of the world. You didn't know my family background when I was at the minister's house. At that time, you told me how worried and worried you were about the tricks of my father and uncle Jaber. Now you understand why I laughed at that time. "In this way, I naturally tell the truth and stop joking; I said straight away, "oh, dear sir, I want to take back what I just said." You do have a position to be hired and I want to apply. " "Tell me where it is." "son-in-law." "Ha ha ha! But you know, since you haven't done this job, obviously you don't have the strength to meet the conditions we agreed on, so-""Let me try-oh, let me try, I beg you! Let me try for 30 or 40 years, if-""Oh, okay, okay; This is no big deal. Take her away. "

Do you think we are happy? I have searched the whole dictionary, but there are not enough words to describe it. A day or two later, when Londoners learned of my one-month million-dollar adventure, did they talk about it with great interest? That's right.

My Bertie's father sent the helpful and hospitable bill back to the Bank of England to cash it; The bank then canceled the bill and gave it to him as a gift; He gave us money at the wedding. Since then, big bills have been framed and hung in the most sacred place in our home. She brought me Portia. Otherwise, how could I stay in London and visit the minister's house, let alone meet her? So I always say, "Yes, you're right, it's a million pounds; But this thing has only been used once since its birth and has never been used again; Later, I only paid about one tenth of the price and got this thing. "