One Sunday morning, when the animals assembled to receive their or-ders, Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new policy. Fromnow onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouringfarms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in orderto obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary. The needs ofthe windmill must override everything else, he said. He was thereforemaking arrangements to sell a stack of hay and part of the current year'swheat crop, and later on, if more money were needed, it would have tobe made up by the sale of eggs, for which there was always a market inWillingdon. The hens, said Napoleon, should welcome this sacrifice astheir own special contribution towards the building of the windmill.
Once again the animals were conscious of a vague uneasiness. Neverto have any dealings with human beings, never to engage in trade, neverto make use of money--had not these been among the earliest resolutionspassed at that first triumphant Meeting after Jones was expelled? All theanimals remembered passing such resolutions: or at least they thoughtthat they remembered it. The four young pigs who had protested whenNapoleon abolished the Meetings raised their voices timidly, but theywere promptly silenced by a tremendous growling from the dogs. Then,as usual, the sheep broke into "Four legs good, two legs bad!" and themomentary awkwardness was smoothed over. Finally Napoleon raised histrotter for silence and announced that he had already made all the ar-rangements. There would be no need for any of the animals to come incontact with human beings, which would clearly be most undesirable.He intended to take the whole burden upon his own shoulders. A Mr.Whymper, a solicitor living in Willingdon, had agreed to act as interme-diary between Animal Farm and the outside world, and would visit thefarm every Monday morning to receive his instructions. Napoleon endedhis speech with his usual cry of "Long live Animal Farm!" and after thesinging of Beasts of England the animals were dismissed.
Afterwards Squealer made a round of the farm and set the animals'minds at rest. He assured them that the resolution against engaging intrade and using money had never been passed, or even suggested. It waspure imagination, probably traceable in the beginning to lies circulatedby Snowball. A few animals still felt faintly doubtful, but Squealer askedthem shrewdly, "Are you certain that this is not something that you havedreamed, comrades? Have you any record of such a resolution? Is itwritten down anywhere?" And since it was certainly true that nothing ofthe kind existed in writing, the animals were satisfied that they had beenmistaken.
P45-46
