Chapter 2 million pounds-2

The boss took a look, blew a soft whistle, and plunged into the pile of returned clothes, rummaging through them.While turning, he kept nagging, as if talking to himself: "Selling a bad suit of clothes to an extraordinary millionaire! Todd's a fool!--born a fool. Always like that. Pissing off every millionaire, just Because he can't tell who's a millionaire and who's a bum, never did. Ah, that's what I'm looking for. Please, sir, take these off and throw them all in the fire. You reward me One face, put on this shirt and this suit; suitable, too suitable - concise, elegant, dignified, completely royal and aristocratic; this is custom-made for a foreign prince - sir may know, is respect His Royal Highness Halifax Hespondal; he put the suit here, and made another, for his mother was going to die--and she didn't. But that's all right; things Don't keep pressing us--this, keep pressing them--hey! The trousers are just right for you, sir; try the waistcoat; aha, too! And put on the coat--God! Look, here! Absolutely—absolutely! I've never seen such a beautiful dress in my whole life!"

I am satisfied. "You're wise, sir, holy; I dare say this suit will last a while. But wait, and we'll make you a suit to your own measurements. Come on, Todd, get your book and pen." ;I told you to remember. Thirty-two inches of trousers—"and so on.Before I could interject a word, he had finished his measurements, and was ordering evening coats, morning coats, shirts, and assorted garments.I inserted a loophole and said: "My dear sir, I can't have these clothes made to order, unless you can give me an indefinite date for the bill, or you'll have to change the bill for me."

"Indeterminate day! It's a shame, sir, it's a shame. It's forever—that's the truth, sir. Todd, make these eyelets quickly, without a moment's delay, and send them to this gentleman's house. Let The unimportant customers wait. Take this gentleman's address and—" "I'm moving. When will I come and leave a new address." "You are wise, sir, you are wise. Wait a moment—I will see you off, sir. Well—you go, sir, you go." Well, do you understand what will happen next?I go with the flow, buy whatever I want, and when I'm done, I yell "change!" Within a week, I've got all the clothes I need to live in luxury, and I'm in an expensive hotel in Hanover Square. settle down.I dined there, but in the morning I went to the Harris's snack bar, where I ate my first meal on a million pound note.It was I who made it possible for Harris.Word spread that the eccentric foreigner with a million dollar bill in his waistcoat pocket was the God of Wealth here.This is enough.This was originally a poor and struggling snack bar, but now it has a great reputation and a lot of customers.Harris was so grateful that he insisted on lending me the money, and I was not allowed to refuse; so, although I was poor, I was not shy in my pocket, and lived a luxurious and ostentatious life.I was also beating drums in my heart, thinking that maybe one day the truth would be revealed, but the matter has come to this point and there is only one way forward.You see, this was originally pure nonsense, but with this sense of crisis, it actually appeared a little serious, a little sad and a little sad.This sorrow always came up to me in the dark after nightfall to warn and threaten me;However, as soon as the joyous day came, these tragic elements evaporated and disappeared without a trace.I was so buoyant, dizzy with joy, as if I was drunk.

It was no wonder; I had become a prominent figure in the metropolis of the world, and my mind was more than a speck, it was a complete transformation.No matter which newspaper you turn to, whether it's English, Scottish, or Irish, you'll always find a story or two about the "millionaire" and his latest words and deeds.At first these things about me were on the tail of the gossip column; then I outranked the lords, then the second baronets, then the baronets, and so on. , My position has risen higher and higher, and my reputation has become more and more famous, and I didn't stop until I couldn't get any higher.At this time, I already lived under the royal family and above the dukes; although I was not comparable to the Archbishop of England, I was enough to overlook all the clergy except him.Bear in mind that up to this point I have not been famous; only famous.At this moment, the climax came—just like a marquis worshiping a general—in an instant, my fleeting fame turned into a golden reputation that lasted forever: "Clumsy" published my comics!Yes, now I have achieved success and gained a firm foothold.There might be teasing, but it was respectful, neither outrageous nor rude; there might be laughter, but there was no laughing.Those days are over. Clumsy has my clothes ripped, haggling with a Tower of London guard.Here, you can imagine a young man who has always been unknown, and suddenly, every word of his will be spread everywhere; wherever you go, you can hear people telling each other: "The one who walks is him!" There are three floors inside and three floors outside; as soon as you show up in the box, hundreds of binoculars are all aimed at the past.Hey, I stole the limelight all day—or so to speak.

You see, I still have that old suit, and I wear it out now and then, just to savor the old fun of buying something small, getting angry, and using that million-dollar kill.However, my pleasure could not last.The pictorials have made my outfit known to everyone. As soon as I wear it on the street, there will be a large group of people following behind; They're going to give me the whole store on credit. About ten days after I became famous, I went to call on the American envoy, hoping to do a little service for the motherland.He received me with the warmth befitting a man of my stature and criticized me for being too late to serve my country.The minister said that he was going to have a banquet that night, and one of the guests happened to be absent due to illness. I had to make up for this guest in order to get the minister's forgiveness.After I agreed, I chatted with the envoy.Speaking of it, it turned out that he and my father were classmates since childhood, and later studied at Yale University; they were close friends until my father passed away.He therefore bade me come and walk about the house whenever I had time; of course I would.

To be honest, I am more than willing, I am simply happy.Because if something happens in the future, he may be able to save me from a catastrophe; how he will save me I don't know, but he may be able to figure out a way.Things have come to the point where I can't risk telling him all about myself; had I met him at the very beginning of this London adventure, I'd have done so right away.No, I dare not speak now; I am too deep to tell the truth to a friend I have just made; but not so deep, in my own opinion, that I am completely lost.You know, it's because I'm careful not to let the total foreign debt exceed my ability to pay--that is, not exceed my share of the salary.Of course I don't know exactly how much that salary is, but one thing I'm sure of and I can imagine: if I help win the bet, I can choose any position in the tycoon's purview, as long as I If you can do it--of course I can; I don't doubt it at all.As for that bet they made, I don't worry about it; I must have been lucky.As for salary, I think it will always be between six hundred and one thousand pounds a year; and even if it is only six hundred pounds the first year, with a raise every year thereafter, and when my ability is proved, it can always be increased to Maybe a thousand pounds.In spite of every one who wanted to lend me money, I found various pretexts and politely declined a large part; so I owed nothing but the three hundred pounds I had borrowed in cash, plus the three hundred pounds in arrears for living expenses and something on credit.I believe that as long as I remain careful and frugal, my salary for the next year will make up for the remaining days. Besides, I am very careful and never waste money.Just wait until the end of the month, when my boss returns, and everything will be fine; then, I can immediately use the first two years' salary to pay off the creditors, and I can start working immediately.

The banquet that day was wonderful, with a total of fourteen people at the table.The Duke and Duchess of Sauldich and their daughters Anne-Grace-Eleanor-Celeste-and a bunch of other-Lady de Bochum, Earl and Countess of Nuguet, Cheapside The Viscount, Sir and Lady Blatherskett, several untitled couples, the Minister with his wife and daughter, and Portia Rum, an English girl of twenty-two, who was a friend of the Minister's daughter.Within two minutes, I was in love with her, and she was in love with me—I could tell without my glasses.There was also an American guest—I'm getting a little ahead of myself with this story.These people were waiting in the living room, whetting their appetites while watching the guests who arrived later.Then the servant came to report:

"Mr Lloyd Hastings here." After the usual greetings, Hastings saw me, extended his hand sincerely, and came straight towards me; before he could take it, he stopped suddenly, and said embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, sir, I thought we knew each other." "Why, of course you know me, old friend." "No. Don't you just—are—" "A monster with a lot of money? Yes, it's me. Don't be afraid to call me by my nickname, I'm used to it." "Hey hey hey, that was unexpected. A few times I've seen your name put together with this nickname, and I never thought that the Henry Adams they were talking about would be you. What? Just half a year ago, You are still working for Blake Hopkins in San Francisco. You often work overnight in order to earn some overtime pay, and help me sort out and verify the prospectus documents and statistics of Gould and Galli Mining Company. I didn’t expect you to come to London. I'm a millionaire, I'm a celebrity! Well, this is a re-enactment of the Arabian Nights. Dude, I can't wrap my head around it, I can't figure it out; give me time to sort out this mess in my head Mess."

"But it's obvious that you're better off than I am. I can't figure it out myself." "My dear fellow, that's quite a surprise, isn't it? Well, it's only been three months since we both went to the Miners' Restaurant—" "No, it's the Merry Woods." "That's right, it's Happy Forest; we went there at two o'clock in the middle of the night. We spent six hours chasing those capital increase documents, then went there to eat a piece of meat and drink a cup of coffee. At that time, I wanted to persuade you to follow I came to London together, and offered to ask for a long vacation for you, and take out all the travel expenses for you, as long as the business is completed, I will give you benefits; but you don't listen to me, say I can't make it, and say yours You can't stop working, once you stop, you won't be able to pick up the slack when you go back. But now you are here. It's strange! How did you come here? How did you get such an incredible position? "

"Ah, pure chance. It's a long story—what should I say? It's a legend. I'll tell you the whole story, but not now." "when?" "At the end of this month." "That will take half a month. For a curious person, this appetite is too much. Just a week." "No. After a while you'll find out why. Now, how is your business?" His mental head dissipated immediately, and he sighed and said: "You're right, Henry, you're right. I wish I hadn't come. I don't want to mention it." "You can't do it if you don't. When we leave today, you must come with me, stay with me overnight, and tell me everything."

"Ah, tell me? Are you serious?" "Yes, I will listen to it from beginning to end without missing a word." "Thank you so much! I've been here to this extent, and unexpectedly I met someone who cares about me and my affairs with words and eyes—God! Just for this, you deserve my worship!" He squeezed my hand hard, cheered up, and was at peace ever since.I am happily preparing to participate in the banquet that has not yet started.No, it's the same old problem - under the absurd and hateful British system, this kind of problem will always happen - if the seating problem cannot be solved, the meal will not be able to be served.When the English go out to dinner, they eat before they go, because they know the risks; but no one warns the foreign guests, and they only ask for trouble.Of course, no one suffered this time, because everyone has been to the banquet, and they are all veterans except Hastings, and Hastings himself heard the minister say when he received the invitation: In order to respect the habits of the British, he There was no dinner at all.Everyone files into the restaurant with a lady on their arm, as that's usually the case; however, this is where the controversy begins.The Duke of Sauldich wanted to be distinguished, he wanted to be chief, he said he was superior to the minister, because the minister was only a representative of a state, not a dynasty; but I insisted on my rights and would not budge.In the gossip column, I rank above all dukes other than members of the royal family, and accordingly I claim that seat.We had a quarrel with each other, but we couldn't solve the problem; in the end he unwisely wanted to show off his origin and ancestry, and I figured out that his trump card was William the Conqueror, so I took Adam against him and said I was Adam's A direct descendant, as evidenced by his surname; and he was only a collateral, as evidenced not only by his surname, but also from the fact that he was not of long Norman descent; so we all filed back into the drawing room, where we stood eating ——With a plate of sardines and strawberries, he made up the right pieces and ate them standing up.Here the issue of seating is less serious; the two highest-ranking guests toss a coin to guess first, the winner eats the strawberry first, and the loser gets the coin.The next two guesses follow, then the next two, and so on.When the snacks were over, the table was moved over to a game of cards, and we played clippers, a handful of sixpence.The British never play for the sake of playing.If they don't win something, lose something--it doesn't matter what they win or lose--they never play. We had a wonderful time; it was us of course—Miss Rum and I.I made her lose her mind. As long as the cards in my hand exceed two straights, I can't count them. I can't tell if my score has reached the top, and then I will start from the next row. You must lose. Fortunately, the girl is in the same situation as me, do you understand?So the scores of the two of us can't always reach the top, and we can't tell who wins or loses. Neither of us cares or thinks about what's going on; we just think that each other is very happy, and we don't care about the rest , and don't want to stir up excitement.So I told her--I did--tell her I loved her; and she--hey, she's red with embarrassment, but she likes it; she does, she likes it.Ah, when have I ever experienced such a wonderful night!After each hand, when I count the points, I always add oil and vinegar. If she counts the points, she also tacitly counts the cards like me.Well, even if I say "Two cards," I have to add "Wow, you look so good!" And she said, "Fifteen gets two points, fifteen gets four points, fifteen gets six points." 8 points, and 8 points for a pair, and 8 points are 16 points," while asking: "Did you do the math?"——Her eyes glanced at me behind the eyelashes, you don't know: so gentle, so cute .Oops, that's wonderful! However, I was frank 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 about, and that the bill was not mine, which made her very curious; I told her all the ins and outs, and laughed her half to death.I don't know what she's laughing at, but she just keeps giggling; every half minute, something new makes her feel good, so I just shut up and give her a chance to calm down .Why, she's laughing herself like a fool—she really is; I've never seen anyone laugh like that.I mean I've never seen a painful story--a person's troubles, anxieties, worries--create such an effect.Seeing how happy she was when there was nothing else to do, made my love for her all the more irresistible; you see, as things were then, I might need a lady like that right away. .Of course, I also told her that we have to wait two years until I make up the shortfall with my own salary; but she doesn't care about it, she just hopes that I can be as careful as possible in terms of expenses, and don't let our third year There is even a slight risk in spending.Then she started getting a little worried, wondering if I had made a mistake and overestimated my starting salary for the first year more than I actually got.This makes sense, and it halved my original self-confidence; at the same time, it also inspired me to come up with a good idea, so I just said it: "My dear Portina, will you come with me when the day comes when I meet the two old gentlemen?" She hesitated a little, but said: "As long as I go to make you more at ease, I would, I would. But—do you think this is appropriate?" "I don't know if it's right—I'm afraid it's not. But, you know, it's a matter of whether you go or not, so—" "Then don't care if it fits or not, I'll just go," she said in a lovely heroine tone. "Ah, I'm so glad to think I can help you a little!" "My dear, how can I help? Hey, it's all up to you. You are so beautiful, so cute, so charming. If you go with me, I will definitely raise my salary very high. Let that Two good old gentlemen dumped their homes and property, but they are still willing." Oh!You haven't seen her at that time: her face is full of spring, her eyes are shining with happiness! "Damn it, you can only speak nice words! You don't even have a half-truth, no matter what, I'll go with you. Maybe this can teach you a lesson: don't expect people to think of you as you think of them. " Has the cloud of doubt in my mind been swept away?Am I confident again?You may judge by this: I privately raised my first-year salary to £1,200.I didn't tell him though: I'm saving it as a surprise for her. I was walking on cotton as I walked home, and not a word Hastings said caught my ears.I didn't wake up until Hastings followed me into the living room, praising the opulence, luxury and comfort of the furnishings. "Let me stand here a moment and feast my eyes. My fellow! It's a palace--it's a palace! There's anything I want, warm coals, and supper is ready. Henry, it's not just me Know how rich you really are; and make me know exactly how poor I am--poor, miserable, useless, hopeless, hopeless!" damned!This statement gave me a chill.His words woke me up like a dream, and I realized that I was standing on the half-inch thick crust with the crater below.I didn't know I was dreaming—that is, I didn't allow myself time to make sense of it; but now—be good!Debts, penniless, a girl's fortunes in my hands, my future in doubt, a salary that might be enough—oh, maybe not at all!Alas!I'm ruined, hopeless, hopeless! "Henry, as long as your daily income is scattered casually, you can—" "Hmph, my daily income! Come, drink this glass of hot wine, and cheer yourself up. Let's have a drink! Oh, no—you're hungry; sit down, come—" "I don't feel hungry, I'm too hungry. I haven't been able to eat these days; but I will drink enough with you until you lie down. Do it!" "One drink per person, I'll accompany you! Ready? Let's do it together! Lloyd, while I'm mixing the wine, tell me about your story." "Tell me? Why, say it again?" "Besides? What does this mean?" "Hey, I mean, you want to listen to it all over again?" "I want to listen to it again? This is driving me crazy. Wait, you don't want to drink any more of this soup. You can't drink any more." "Hey, Henry, you're scaring me. Didn't I tell you everything on the way here?" "you?', "Yeah, me." "If I hear a single word, I shall die a terrible death." "Henry, this is a serious matter. Don't bother me. What the hell did you do with the Minister?" Only then did I suddenly realize that if I dared to act, I would tell the truth. "I've captured the cutest girl in the world!" So he rushed up and shook hands with me, and shook, and shook, until it hurt; and we walked three miles, and he told a story, and I never heard a word of it: he didn't blame me for it.Then the unhurried good man sat down and started the story from the beginning.To make a long story short, his experience is roughly as follows: When he came to the UK, he thought that opportunities were everywhere; he acted as an agent for Gould and Galli Mining Company in the IPO, selling mining rights for explorers, and all the parts exceeding one million to him.He tried his best, used up all his connections, tried all honest means, and spent almost all his money, but he couldn't find a single capitalist willing to listen to his lobbying, and his agency will expire at the end of this month , he is finished.Having said this, he jumped up and shouted loudly: "Henry, you can save me! You can save me. You are the only one in this world who can save me. Will you give me a hand? Will you?" "Tell me what I can do for you. Straightforward, man." "Give me one million, plus travel expenses home, in exchange for my 'power of attorney'! No, don't refuse!"