rchant; merchant owed banker; banker owed depositor. No
one could pay because no one could get what was due him or could realize
upon his property. The endless chain of credit that binds together the
whole of modern society had snapped in a thousand places. It must be
repaired, instantly and securely. But how--and by whom?

I issued a clear statement of the situation; I showed in minute detail how
the people standing together under the leadership of the honest men of
property could easily force the big bandits to consent to an honest, just,
rock-founded, iron-built reconstruction. My statement appeared in all the
morning papers throughout the land. Turn back to it; read it. You will say
that I was right. Well--

Toward two o'clock Inspector Crawford came into my private office, escorted
by Joe. I saw in Joe's seamed, green-gray face that some new danger had
arisen. "You've got to get out of this," said he. "The mob in front of our
place fills the three streets. It's made up of crowds turned away from the
suspended banks."

I remembered the sullen faces and the hisses as I entered the office that
morning earlier than usual. My windows were closed to keep out the street
noises; but now that my mind was up from the work in which I had been
absorbed, I could hear the sounds of many voices, even through the thick
plate glass.

"We've got two hundred policemen here," said the inspector. "Five hundred
more are on the way. But--really, Mr. Blacklock, unless we can get you
away, there'll be serious trouble. Those damn newspapers! Every one of them
denounced you this morning, and the people are in a fury against you."

I went toward the door.

"Hold on, Matt!" cried Joe, springing at me and seizing me, "Where are you
going?"

"To tell them what I think of them," replied I, sweeping him aside. For my
blood was up, and I was enraged against the poor cowardly fools.

"For God's sake don't show yourself!" he begged. "If you don't care for
your own life, think of the rest of us. We've fixed a route through
buildings and under streets up to Broadway. Your electric is waiting for
you there."

"It won't do," I said. "I'll face 'em--it's the only way."

I went to the window, and was about to throw up one of the sunblinds for
a look at them; Crawford stopped me. "They'll stone the building and then
storm it," said he. "You must go at once, by the route we've arranged."

"Even if you tell them I'm gone, they won't believe it," r