'Very well, then; I should like to know who is the owner of the mine.'
'The owner of the mine at present is some foreigner whose name and
address I do not know. The two young men you speak of have an option on
that mine for a certain length of time--how long I don't know. They have
been urging me to go in with them to form a company for the floating of
that mine for two hundred thousand pounds on the London market.'
'Two hundred thousand pounds!' said Melville. 'That seems to me rather a
large amount.'
'Do you think so? Well, the objection I had to it was that it was too
small.'
'Those two men must have an exaggerated idea of the value of this mineral
if they think it will pay dividends on two hundred thousand pounds.'
'This mineral is not all there is in the mine. In fact, it is already
paying a dividend on fifty thousand pounds or thereabouts, because of the
mica in it. It is being mined for mica alone. To tell the truth, I did
not know much about the other mineral.'
'And do you think the mine is worth two hundred thousand pounds?'
'Frankly, I do not.'
'Then why are you connected with it?'
'I am not connected with it--at least, not definitely connected with it.
I have the matter under consideration. Of course, if there is anything
approaching a swindle in it, I shall have nothing to do with it. It will
depend largely on the figures that the two men show me whether I have
anything to do with it or not.
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