Second W. I. M. (after a pause). Well, anyhow, we in England haven't done anything of the kind. You can't deny that.
A. M. No, we haven't done anything quite on the same scale lately, I admit that. But we've done our best with worthless mines, and bogus Companies of all kinds, and financial papers, and Building Societies. Seems to me we've no right to chuck stones at poor old Lesseps.
Inquirer. Is that the same old chap who did something in Egypt some years ago?
Second W. I. M. (smiling, and superior). Yes, the very same. He made the Suez Canal.
Inquirer. Of course—so he did. That was what we went to the Soudan for, wasn't it?
Second W. I. M. (dubiously). Well, it had something to do with it, of course. As we'd got four million pounds' worth of shares in the Canal, we couldn't afford to see it upset. And then (brightening) there was the Dual Control. That was really at the bottom of the whole business.
Inquirer. The Dual Control? I don't remember what that was.
Second W. I. M. Why, don't you remember Arabi setting himself up against the Khedive? Well, naturally, we couldn't stand the two of them playing their games there; so we just had to nip in, and smash old Arabi.
Inquirer. Of course, I remember the whole business now; Khartoum, and the Mahdi, and all the rest of it. [A pause.
Inquirer (returning to the charge). I wonder why they called it the Panama Canal?