Mark Twain 
The Million Pound Bank Note 

Henry Adams arrives in London down on his luck, hungry and penniless. His "luck" turns when two brothers, in order to settle a £20, 000 wager they have made with each other, thrust a million pound note upon him. They bet that a man brandishing such a note would be able to live high on the hog without ever having to cash it. Similar to the myth of the Emperor with no clothes, The Million Pound Bank Note exposes the limits of human perception when confronted by money, majesty, and power.