Being of a hopeful, castle-building temperament, I had sanguinely
thought that I would meet with employment there at once; and, be able to
master in some unknown, mysterious way, the great art of money-making,
on the very instant that I landed in the New World!
I really imagined it, I think, to be an enchanted place, where every
newly-arrived person became magically changed into a sort of Midas on a
small scale; transforming everything he touched, if not into gold--the
days of California were now over--at all events into Washington
"eagles," or Mexican silver dollars, or even greenbacks, which were
better than nothing, although greasy and not acknowledged at their
nominal value.
Upon my word, I really believe that that was my secret opinion
concerning America before I actually crossed the Atlantic!
Probably, I would not have told you so had you asked me then; but I
think that was my real idea about it. It was to me an Eldorado, where
ill-luck was undreamt of; and where I should be able to heap up riches
without the slightest out-of-the-way exertion on my part, in an
incredibly short space of time:--riches that would enable me to return
home, in the character of a millionaire, in a year or two at the
outside, and claim Min's hand from the then-unresisting Mrs Clyde!
Was I not a fool? Pray, say so, if you think it.--_I_ won't mind, bless
you! for, I know that there are more such in the world besides myself,
eh?