“No, I think not. But of course I know little about such things.”
“Well, Nestle?”
“One might imagine, sir, that it was not parrakeet skins in general, but one parrakeet skin in particular that the advertiser had in view. The rose-ringed, you see, is the only one described in detail.”
“Perhaps it is the most marketable?”
“Yes, sir, perhaps.”
“You do not think that that is the reason?”
“No, frankly, sir, I do not—not a sufficient one to account for the distinction.”
“What is, then?”
“Ah! that, sir, I cannot guess. An inquiry might yield a very ordinary solution, or it might yield a surprising, or even a dramatic one. Things have been quiet of late. I thought no more than that here was a possible opportunity for you.”
“Well, I am obliged to you, Nestle. I will think it over.”