Herman Melville | The Confidence-Man | 1857

Dear Confidence-Man,

You come onto the scene as "a man in cream-colours." Fair chin, flaxen hair, white fur hat. Is the white supposed to represent your honesty? I have to say that I don't get you. One of the things that confuses me most is how you can con people if you aren't understood. I always thought the best cons appear fixed to their marks, so that the deception comes as a surprise. Or maybe that is a function of my place off the Fidèle, here on shore. If I'm off the Fidèle, maybe I'm the untrustworthy one. All I know for sure is that I love hearing about your adventures, and if I were to ever start a band, it would be called the Retail Philanthropists.

Something Further May Follow,
John