Charles Dickens visited America in the fall of 1867. Wherever he went, the reception was always the same. The night before tickets went on sale, crowds arrived and lined up before the door. By morning, the streets became campgrounds with men, women, and children sitting or sleeping on blankets. Hustlers were asking $ 25 for $ 2 ticket and $ 50 for $ 5 seats. In New York City, over 5,000 people waited from nine o’clock in the morning for the evening performance. Everywhere the readings were successful, but audience were surprised to hear their favorite novel characters speak with an English accent. After 76 readings, Dickens boarded a ship for England. When his fellow passengers requested a reading, he replied that rather than read a word, he would attack the captain and be put in irons. The reception which Dickens received suggests that .