"Within the last few months/' continued the spokes-
man, "over five hundred thousand million pounds*
worth of capital has been destroyed."

The allusion to the last few months astonished me
more than the amount of capital destroyed. "Dear
me!" I exclaimed; "have I been in office so long?
How the time does fly !"

"Over half a million millions of pounds, if a penny/*
he continued. **I am prepared to make good my
statement."

"Oh, I take your word for the amount," I said smil-
ingly. "But would you be good enough to tell me
what kind of 'capital' has been destroyed, and in what
manner?"

" If you will come with me to my office I will show
you a whole strong-room full of what was once most
valuable 'stock,* but which is now so much waste paper
— or very nearly so."

"Dear me! have the moths got into them, or mice,
or rats?"

"Neither of these, but the blight and canker of
your cursed government," he said, with ill-suppressed
anger.
