Pages 5-8

I did not lose a moment. I pushed the money into my vest pocket, and ran to the nearest cheap eating house. Well, how I ate! At last I couldn’t hold any more food. Then I took out my money and unfolded it. I had oneglimpse and I nearly fainted. It was a million pounds. That was five million dollars! It made me giddy to think about it.

I was so astonished that I must have sat there for almost a minute blinking at the banknote. When I remembered where I was, the first thing I noticed was the landlord. He had seen the banknote, and it seemed as though the sight had turned him to stone. He was worshipping the banknote with all his body and soul, but he couldn’t move a hand or foot. At that moment I knew what I should do. It was the only logical thing I could do. I passed the note to him, and said carelessly ‘Give me the change, please.’

Then he came back to normal. He made a thousand apologies for not being able to give me so much change. I couldn’t get him to touch the banknote. He wanted to look at it all the time. He couldn’t seem to get enough of looking at it, but he would not touch it. It was as if it was something too precious for his poor human hands to touch. I said ‘I am sorry if this is a bit of a problem for you, but I must insist. Please change it, I haven’t anything else.’

But he said that wasn’t important. He was quite happy to let the small amount be paid another time. I said I might not be in his neighborhood again for a long time. But he said it didn’t matter, he could wait. Also, I could have anything I wanted, any time I chose, and just pay him back whenever I was ready. He said he wasn’t afraid to trust a rich gentleman like me, just because I had a sense of humour and liked to make a joke with people in the way I was dressed.

By this time another customer was entering, and the landlord hinted to me to put the banknote out of sight. He bowed at me all the way to the door. Then I wenr straight to that house and those brothers. I wanted to correct the mistake which had been made before the police started hunting for me to correct the mistake as well. I was pretty nervous; in fact, I was pretty badly frightened. Of course, there was no way that it was my fault. But I knew people well enough to know that if they find they’ve given a beggar a million-pound banknote when they thought it was one pound, they will be furious with him instead of being upset that they did not look properly, as they should have done.

As I approached the house I began to worry less. All was quiet there, which made me feel sure the huge mistake had not been discovered yet. I rang the doorbell. The same servant appeared. I asked for those gentlemen whom I had talked to earlier.

‘They are gone.’ He said this in the slightly rude, cold way of that type of servant.
‘Gone? Gone where?’
‘On a journey.’

‘They have gone to the Continent. I cannot say what road they are taking. They said they would be back next month.’

‘A month! Oh, this is awful! You must tell me how to send a message to them. It’s extremely important. Also I must see someone else in their family at once. There’s been a very big mistake. When they find out what has happened they’ll be back before night. Will you tell them I’ve been here? I will keep coming back here until the mistake is put right, and they needn’t be afraid.’

‘They said you would be here in an hour to make inquiries. I must tell you there is no problem, they’ll be here on time and expect you.’

So I had to give up and go away.It was all a big puzzle! I felt as though I was going mad. What did the servant mean when he said they would be here ‘on time’? I remembered the letter that was in the envelope with the banknote. Maybe that would explain. I took the letter out and read it. This is what it said:

You look as though you are an intelligent and honest man. We get the idea that you are poor and a stranger in London. You will find some money in this envelope. you can have it for thirty days, without interest. Come back to this house at the end of the month. I have made a bet. If I win it you shall have any employment that I can give you. That is, any job that you know how to do and can do well.’

There was no signature on the letter, no address, and no date. Well, here was a strange situation to be in! You know what had gone on before all this, but I did not. It was just a deep, dark puzzle to me. I hadn’t the least idea what was going on. I did not know whether harm was meant to me or kindness. I went into a park, and sat down to try to think it out. I needed to work out the best thing to do.

At the end of an hour this is what I had decided. Maybe those men want something good for me, maybe they do not. There is no way to decide which is correct – so let it go. They are up to some game, or scheme, or experiment, of some kind. There is no way to know what it is – let it go. There’s a bet on me. But I have no way to find out what the bet is – let it go. That finishes with the things I do not know about. All the rest is solid, and may be put into place with certainty. I can ask the Bank of England to put this banknote into the account of the man it belongs to. They’ll do it, for they know him, although I don’t. But they will ask me how I came to have the banknote with me. If I tell the truth, they’ll put me in the asylum, and a lie will get me into jail.

The same thing will happen if I try to put the money in a bank somewhere or to borrow money on it. I have got to carry this great burden around until those men come back, whether I want to or not. It is useless to me, as useless as a handful of ashes. Yet I must take care of it, and watch over it, while I beg for my living. I couldn’t give it away if I tried. No honest man would accept it or any robber want anything to do with it.

Go to Part 3 here.