Three millions!: or, The way of the world

About this book

The work is a juvenile‑fiction tale that follows the fortunes of John Hungerford, a self‑made Baltimore millionaire whose life is measured in the zeros he adds to his bank account. The narrative opens with a sweeping meditation on the allure of three million dollars, then traces Hungerford’s rise from an English workhouse to a wealthy American merchant, his austere personal habits, and the stark emptiness of a life built without family or friends. The plot thickens as his brother James’s widow and children re‑enter his world, hoping that the old man’s generosity will secure their future, while Hungerford’s own step‑wife, Mrs. Lynch, schemes to influence his impending will. The story weaves together themes of inheritance, ambition, and the moral cost of relentless thrift, setting the stage for a conflict over the distribution of his vast estate.

Written in a measured, nineteenth‑century prose style, the novel combines moral instruction with a detailed social portrait of early‑American commerce. Its voice is steady and didactic, offering young readers a clear view of the consequences of avarice and the importance of familial duty. Readers who enjoy historical settings, stories of wealth and legacy, and moral dilemmas presented in a straightforward, period‑appropriate narrative will find this book engaging.

Opening lines

Three million dollars! Suggestive of mighty air-castles, of untold grandeur, of matchless liberality to the poor and needy! Suggestive, also, of long and weary years of patient seeking after worldly wealth, of painful struggles with adverse circumstances, and of parsimonious self-denial extending even to the very necessities of life. …

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