rather peculiar. It gushes on the agricultural and
general information side, and will supply a moderately respectable man
with all sorts of "economic statistics," if he speaks to it prettily.
For instance, you are interested in gold-washing in the sands of the
Sutlej. You pull the string, and find that it wakes up half a dozen
Departments, and finally communicates, say, with a friend of yours
in the Telegraph, who once wrote some notes on the customs of the
gold-washers when he was on construction-work in their part of the
Empire. He may or may not be pleased at being ordered to write out
everything he knows for your benefit. This depends on his temperament.
The bigger man you are, the more information and the greater trouble can
you raise.

Nafferton was not a big man; but he had the reputation of being very
earnest. An "earnest" man can do much with a Government. There was an
earnest man who once nearly wrecked... but all India knows THAT story.
I am not sure what real "earnestness" is. A very fair imitation can
be manufactured by neglecting to dress decently, by mooning about in a
dreamy, misty sort of way, by taking office-work home after staying
in office till seven, and by receiving crowds of native gentlemen on
Sundays. That is one sort of "earnestness."

Nafferton cast about for a peg whereon to hang his earnestness, and for
a string that would communicate with Pinecoffin. He found both. They
were Pig. Nafferton became an earnest inquirer after Pig. He informed
the Government that he had a scheme whereby a very large percentage of
the British Army in India could be fed, at a very large saving, on
Pig. Then he hinted that Pinecoffin might supply him with the "varied
information necessary to the proper inception of the scheme." So the
Government wrote on the back of the letter:--"Instruct Mr. Pinecoffin to
furnish Mr. Nafferton with any information in his power." Government is
very prone to writing things on the backs of letters which, later, lead
to trouble and confusion.

Nafferton had not the faintest interest in Pig, but he knew that
Pinecoffin would flounce into the trap. Pinecoffin was delighted at
being consulted about Pig. The Indian Pig is not exactly an important
factor in agricultural life; but Nafferton explained to Pinecoffin that
there was room for improvement, and corresponded direct with that young
man.

You may think that there is not much to be evolved from Pig. It all
depends how you set t