ss the
table, without speaking.

IV

Philip broke the silence.

"Now--you understand."

"It is impossible!" gasped Gregson. "I cannot believe this! It--it
might have happened a thousand--two thousand years ago--but not now. My
God, man!" he cried, more excitedly. "You do not mean to tell me that
you believe this will be done?"

"Yes," replied Philip.

"It is impossible!" exclaimed Gregson again, crushing the letter in his
hand. "A man doesn't live--a combination doesn't exist--that would
start such a hell loose as this--in this way!"

Philip smiled grimly.

"The man does live, and the combination does exist," he said, slowly.
"Greggy, I have known of men, and of combinations who have spent
millions, who have sacrificed everything of honor and truth, who have
driven thousands of men, women, and children to starvation--and
worse--to achieve a victory in high finance. I have known of men and
combinations who have broken almost every law of man and God in the
fight for money and power. And so have you! You have associated with
some of these men. You have laughed and talked with them, smoked with
them, and have dined at their tables. You spent a week at Selden's
summer borne, and it was Selden who cornered wheat three years ago and
raised the price of bread two cents a loaf. It was Selden who brought
about the bread riots in New York, Chicago, and a score of other
cities, who swung wide the prison doors for thousands, whose millions
were gained at a cost of misery, crime, and even death. And Selden is
only one out of thousands who live to-day, watching for their
opportunities, giving no heed to those who may fall under the
juggernaut of their capital. This isn't the age of petty
discrimination, Greggy. It's the age of the almighty dollar, and of the
fight for it. And there's no chivalry, no quarter shown in this fight.
Men of Selden's stamp don't stop at women and children. The
scrubwoman's dollar is just as big as yours or mine, and if a scheme
could be promoted whereby every scrubwoman in America could be safely
robbed of a dollar you'd find thousands of men down there in our cities
ready to go into it to-morrow. And to such men as these what is the
sacrifice of a few women up here?"

Gregson dropped the letter, crumpled and twisted, upon the table.

"I wonder--if I understand," he said, looking into Philip's white face.
"There has undoubtedly been previous correspondence, and this letter
contains th