“Very well,” said John.  “And will you look after the whole matter for me?”

“All right,” said David.

John thanked him and returned to the front room.

* * * * *

There were times in the months which followed when our friend had reason to wish that all swine had perished with those whom Shylock said “your prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into;” and the news of the world in general was of secondary importance compared with the market reports.  After the purchase pork dropped off a little, and hung about the lower figure for some time.  Then it began to advance by degrees until the quotation was a dollar above the purchase price.

John’s impulse was to sell, but David made no sign.  The market held firm for a while, even going a little higher.  Then it began to drop rather more rapidly than it had advanced, to about what the pork had cost, and for a long period fluctuated only a few cents one way or the other.  This was followed by a steady decline to the extent of half-a-dollar, and, as the reports came, it “looked like going lower,” which it did.  In fact, there came a day when it was so “low,” and so much more “looked like going lower” than ever (as such things usually do when the “bottom” is pretty nearly reached), that our friend had not the courage to examine the market reports for the next two days, and simply tried to keep the subject out of his mind.  On the morning of the third day the Syrchester paper was brought in about ten o’clock, as usual, and laid on Mr. Harum’s desk.  John shivered a little, and for some time refrained from looking at it.  At last, more by impulse than intention, he went into the back room and glanced at the first page without taking the paper in his hands.  One of the press dispatches was headed:  “Great Excitement on Chicago Board of Trade:  Pork Market reported Cornered:  Bears on the Run,” and more of the same sort, which struck our friend as being the most profitable, instructive, and delightful literature that he had ever come across.  David had been in Syrchester the two days previous, returning the evening before.  Just then he came into the office, and John handed him the paper.

“Wa’al,” he said, holding it off at arm’s length, and then putting on his glasses, “them fellers that thought they was all hogs up West, are havin’ a change of heart, are they?  I reckoned they would ’fore they got through with it.  It’s ben ruther a long pull, though, eh?” he said, looking at John with a grin.

“Yes,” said our friend, with a slight shrug of the shoulders.

“Things looked ruther colicky the last two three days, eh?” suggested David.  “Did you think ‘the jig was up an’ the monkey was in the box?’”

“Rather,” said John.  “The fact is,” he admitted, “I am ashamed to say that for a few days back I haven’t looked at a quotation.  I suppose you must have carried me to some extent.  How much was it?”