Merchants of probability,” he goes on, with a little smile. The Countess raises her eyebrows. “And what do you mean by this?” “I believe their official title is consultant, but they are money men—advising the Company when to buy and sell; brokering deals and so on. They keep their beady eyes on what the ladies are painting their lips with in Beijing, what the gentlemen are drinking in the salons of Paris. They deal in what future they believe the train will conjure into being.” “How fascinating,” says the Countess. “And there was I, thinking that we passengers are the most precious goods
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