Dedication
TO THREE FRIENDS IN CALIFORNIA
Prologue
On a great ship a woman sailed away from the Old World, wishing to forget. In her mind was the thought of a far-off place toward which she was travelling. There were no figures in this mental picture. She painted it as a mere flowery background; for she was very tired of people.
In the New World, a man lived and worked, and dreamed—when he had time.
Between this woman and this man lay six thousand miles of land and sea. They were two, among many millions, and they did not know of each other’s existence. There was no visible reason why they ever should know, or why they should ever meet. Yet, sometimes when the moon shone on the sea, the woman said to herself that the bright path paving the water with gold seemed to lead on and on beyond the horizon, as if it might go all the way to the Golden Gate. And the Golden Gate is the Port of Adventure, where every unexpected thing can happen.