I FEAR City people are very mercenary in their views and habits.  It is natural that they should be so; they come into the City to make money, and that is all they are thinking of while they are ...

I FEAR City people are very mercenary in their views and habits.  It is natural that they should be so; they come into the City to make money, and that is all they are thinking of while they are there.  They do not all succeed in their attempt, I know.  Some are idle and improvident, and do not deserve to win in the battle of life.  They are failures from their birth, and go mooning about like the immortal Micawber, expecting something to turn up, till death comes and puts an end to their expectations.  Some men are unlucky, and lose by every adventure; others are born lucky, and, from no merit of their own, everything they touch turns to gold.  The other day a poor costermonger was run-over in the street and killed, and it was found that he was worth several hundreds of pounds.  It would be interesting to know how a costermonger could have made all that money by the sale of apples, oranges, and greens.