Talk of Gold Summary

That afternoon, Bond arrives at the Bank of England and is shown into the office of Colonel Smithers. After an awkward start, Smithers sets in enthusiastically to tell Bond about gold and the gold trade. Gold is sought after the world over, Smithers says, partly because of its beauty, and partly because it can be used everywhere and is very difficult to trace. The job of Smithers and his research crew is to monitor any movement of gold out of England, especially to places like India where it can be sold at a price higher than the official rate in England. There are also people who hoard gold, believing that it will hedge against economic catastrophe. The problem is compounded, Smithers says, by the fact that the world's supply of gold seems to be running out.

Smithers is interrupted...