? ? ? ? "I gave it to him, and he read it over very carefully.
? ? ? ? " 'You seem to have made a vast impression upon my brother Arthur,' said he, 'and I know that he is a pretty shrewd judge. He swears by London, you know; and I by Birmingham; but this time I shall follow his advice. Pray consider yourself definitely engaged.'
? ? ? ? " 'What are my duties?' I asked.
? ? ? ? " 'You will eventually manage the great depot in Paris, which will pour a flood of English crockery into the shops of a hundred and thirty-four agents in France. The purchase will be completed in a week, and meanwhile you will remain in Birmingham and make yourself useful.'
? ? ? ? " 'How?'
? ? ? ? "For answer, he took a big red book out of a drawer.
? ? ? ? " 'This is a directory of Paris,' said he, 'with the trades after the names of the people. I want you to take it home with you and to mark off all the hardware-sellers, with their addresses. It would be of the greatest use to me to have them.'
? ? ? ? " 'Surely, there are classified lists?' I suggested.
? ? ? ? " 'Not reliable ones. Their system is different from ours.
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