ofits; and every time Bones read such an account he
wriggled in his chair and made unhappy noises.

Then one afternoon there came to his office a suave gentleman in
frock-coat, carrying with him a card which was inscribed "Ministry of
Supplies." And the end of that conversation was that Bones, all a
twitter of excitement, drove to a gloomy office in Whitehall, where he
interviewed a most sacred public official, to whom members of the
public were not admitted, perhaps, more than four times a year.

Hamilton had watched the proceedings with interest and suspicion. When
Bones was mysterious he was very mysterious; and he returned that night
in such a condition of mystery that none but a thought-reading
detective could have unravelled him.

"You seem infernally pleased with yourself, Bones," said Hamilton.
"What lamentable error have you fallen into?"

"Dear old Ham," said Bones, with the helpless little laugh which
characterised the very condition of mind which Hamilton had described,
"dear old pryer, wait till to-morrow. Dear old thing, I wouldn't spoil
it. Read your jolly old newspaper, dear old inquirer."

"Have you been to the police court?" asked Hamilton.

"Police court? Police court?" said Bones testily. "Good Heavens, lad!
Why this jolly old vulgarity? No, dear boy, live and learn, dear old
thing!"

Hamilton undoubtedly lived until the next morning, and learnt. He saw
the headlines the second he opened his newspaper.

GREAT DEAL IN JUTE.
PROMINENT CITY MAN BUYS GOVERNMENT SUPPLY OF
JUTE FOR A MILLION.

Hamilton was on his way to the office, and fell back in the corner of
the railway carriage with a suppressed moan. He almost ran to the
office, to find Bones stalking up and down the room, dictating an
interview to a reporter.

"One minute, one minute, dear old Ham," said. Bones warningly. And
then, turning to the industrious journalist, he went on where Hamilton
had evidently interrupted him. "You can say that I've spent a great
deal of my life in fearfully dangerous conditions," he said. "You
needn't say where, dear old reporter, just say 'fearfully dangerous
conditions.'"

"What about jute?" asked the young man.

"Jute," said Bones with relish, "or, as we call it, _Corcharis
capsilaris_, is the famous jute tree. I have always been interested in
jute and all that sort of thing---- But you know what to say better
than I can tell you. You can also say that I'm young--no,