Un pari de milliardaires et autres nouvelles

The narrator is a 27‑year‑old French‑speaking clerk who drifts from a cramped job in a San‑Francisco mining brokerage to a desperate night adrift on the Bay. Rescued by a passing brig, he arrives in London penniless, gaunt, and clutching a single dollar as the city looms large around him. A chance encounter with a pair of aristocratic brothers initiates a bizarre wager: can an honest, destitute stranger survive for a month on the credit of a secret million‑pound banknote?

As the brothers watch the streets for a suitable candidate, the narrator is selected and thrust into a world of opulent tables, whispered bettings, and impossible expectations. The story follows his resourceful attempts to turn the unimaginable fortune into food, shelter, and dignity, while the brothers’ rivalry sharpens around each clever move. It is a witty, slightly razor‑edged tale that examines greed, luck, and the thin line between charity and exploitation.