Well, you have the sole agency for the local mines?
HOFFMANN
Yes; and what of it?
LOTH
It will be very easy for you, in that case, to obtain permission for me to inspect the mines. That is to say: I would like to go down into them daily for at least a month, in order that I may gain a fairly accurate notion of the management.
HOFFMANN
[Carelessly.] And then, I suppose, you will describe what you've seen down there?
LOTH
Yes, my work is to be primarily descriptive.