Mr. Peabody continued the conversation with Mr. Ferguson.
"Do you think there's as much gold in California as people say?" he asked.
"No," answered the Scotchman.
"You don't?" ejaculated the Bostonian, in dismay.
"No; people always magnify when they talk of a new country. Now, my friend, how much do you expect to get in the first year?"
"Well, about fifty thousand dollars," answered Peabody.
"And how much were you earning in Boston—a thousand dollars?"
"About that," answered Peabody vaguely. In fact, he had been working on a salary of twelve dollars a week, in a retail dry-goods store on Washington Street.
"Then you expect to make fifty times as much as at home?"