Arthur was well-prepared for this. As soon as he heard the question, he calmly pulled out his small notebook from his jacket pocket.
"The Brussels-Mechelen railway is approximately forty miles long. If we lay two lines per mile, with four signal stations, two dispatching devices, two backup devices, using the five-needle six-wire system, with batteries and insulating materials for the entire line... plus labor and maintenance budget..."
Arthur listed a few calculations succinctly in his notebook, then pushed it towards Leopold: "Your Majesty, this is the quote from the England Electromagnetic Telegraph Company, 240 British Pounds per mile, a total of 9600 British Pounds for 40 miles."
Although Leopold had long been mentally prepared for the expensive telegraph system, he still couldn't help but be surprised when he heard the price: "Nearly ten thousand pounds?"
