"‘some little time ago i bought a small place—a very small place—within ten miles of reading. i was fortunate enough to discover that there was a deposit of fuller’s-earth in one of my fields. on examining it, however, i found that this deposit was a comparatively small one, and that it formed a link between two very much larger ones upon the right and left—both of them, however, in the grounds of my neighbours. these good people were absolutely ignorant that their land contained that which was quite as valuable as a gold-mine. naturally, it was to my interest to buy their land before they discovered its true value, but unfortunately i had no capital by which i could do this. i took a few of my friends into the secret, however, and they suggested that we should quietly and secretly work our own little deposit and that in this way we should earn the money which would enable us to buy the neighbouring fields. this we have now been doing for some time, and in order to help us in our operations we erected a hydraulic press. this press, as i have already explained, has got out of order, and we wish your advice upon the subject. we guard our secret very jealously, however, and if it once became known that we had hydraulic engineers coming to our little house, it would soon rouse inquiry, and then, if the facts came out, it would be good-bye to any chance of getting these fields and carrying out our plans. that is why i have made you promise me that you will not tell a human being that you are going to eyford to-night. i hope that i make it all plain?’