'That's all very well, John, you are prejudiced against him; but you know the name of Longworth would have a very great effect upon the minds of other City men. If we can get the Longworths into this, even for a small amount, I am certain that we shall have very little trouble in floating the company.' 'Well, all I can say is, my mission to the Longworths was a failure. Have you looked over the papers?' 'Oh yes, and that reminds me. The point on which the whole scheme turns is the availability of the mineral for the making of china, isn't it?' 'That is so.' 'Well, look at this letter; it came this morning.' He tossed the letter over to Kenyon, who read it, and then asked: 'Who's Adam Brand? He doesn't know what he is talking about.' 'Ah, but the trouble is that he does. No man in England better, I should imagine. He is the manager and part owner of the big Scranton china works. I went to see Melville of that company yesterday. He could tell me nothing about the mineral, but kept the specimen I gave him, and told me he would show it to the manager when he came in. Brand is the manager of the works, and if anybody knows the value of the mineral, he ought to be the man.' 'Nevertheless,' said Kenyon, 'he is mistaken.' 'That is just the point of the whole matter--is he? The mineral is either valueless, as he says, or he is telling a deliberate lie for some particular purpose; and I can't see, for the life of me, why a stranger should not only tell a falsehood, but write it on paper. Now, John, what do you know about china manufacture?' 'I know very little indeed about it.' 'Very well, then, how can you put your knowledge against this man's, who is a practical manufacturer?' Kenyon looked at Wentworth, who was evidently not feeling in the best of humours. 'Do you mean to say, George, that I do not know what I am talking about when I tell you that this mineral is valuable for a certain purpose?' 'Well, you have just admitted that you know nothing about the china trade.' 'Not "nothing," George--I know something about it; but what I do understand is the value of minerals. The reason I know anything at all about china manufacture is simply because I learned that this mineral is one of the most important components of china.' 'Then why did that man write such a letter?' 'I'm sure I don't know. As you saw the man, you can judge better than I whether he would tell a deliberate falsehood, or whether he was merely ignorant.' 'I didn't see Brand at all; I saw Melville. Melville was to submit this mineral to Brand, and let me know what he thought about it. Of course, everything depends upon the value of it in the china trade.' 'Of course.' 'Very well then, I took the only way that was open to me to find out what practical men say about it. If they say they will have nothing to do with it, then we might as well give up our mining scheme and send back our option to Mr. Von Brent.' Kenyon read the letter again, and pondered deeply over it.