A loose idea that my father had a private gold-mine somewhere or other relieved me of all uneasiness.
I was not far from right.

Every man has within himself a gold-mine whose riches are limited only by his own industry.

It is true, it sometimes happens that industry does not avail, if a man lacks that something which, for want of a better name, we call Luck.

My father was a person of untiring energy and ability; but he had no luck.

To use a Rivermouth saying, he was always catching sculpins when everyone else with the same bait was catching mackerel.
It was more than two years since I had seen my parents.