All before was a summer sea, and the ship of his fortune had bent her sails alone to favouring breezes.

But this was to be no longer.

His ship had suffered not only by stress of weather, but also by the sacrifice of a portion of cargo to save what remained.

And, at last, she was driving on toward the breakers, and her safety from destruction only hoped for through the activity, skill, and tireless vigilance of her helmsman.
A few years before, Mr.Jasper considered himself worth between two and three hundred thousand dollars; now, he passed sleepless nights in fear of impending ruin.

He had trusted in riches; he had called them, in his heart, the greatest good.