rather ignored
Felixstowe's frivolous salutation.

"Mr. Pratt," he begged, "can I have a few words with you on business?"

"Certainly," Jacob assented. "That's what I'm here for. Sit down, do."

The secretary accepted an easy-chair but waved away the proffered
cigar.

"I guess you fully understand, sir," he began, "how important it is to
keep your brother's condition absolutely secret. The moment the change
that the doctor is looking for takes place, we shall give it out that
he has returned from the Adirondacks with a slight fever and is
compelled to rest for a day or two. Until then, we've got to bluff for
all we are worth."

"I am rather taking your word for this," Jacob said. "In my country,
the stock market is not quite so sensitive as regards personalities."

"Mighty good thing, too," Morse remarked approvingly. "Down in Wall
Street, some one only has to start a rumour that the chairman of one
of the great railway companies is sick, and the stock of that company
slides a notch or two before you know where you are. However, to
return to my point," he continued, leaning forward in his chair and
becoming more earnest in his manner, "your brother, Mr. Pratt, is a
very prominent figure in Wall Street. As his partner, you can form a
pretty fair idea as to what his monthly profits are. At first he was
absolutely driven by circumstances to be a large operator upon the
stock markets. Nowadays, this has become one of his favourite
hobbies."

"Does he gain or lose by it?" Jacob enquired.

"He makes money," Morse replied. "But then he never gambles--what we
should call gambling in this country. He only deals in the sound
things, and if the market sags he simply holds on. That brings me,
sir, to the principal reason why I was glad to see you over on this
side. Three days before he was taken ill, your brother cleaned up a
little deal by which he made the best part of half a million dollars
and opened a very large account in railroads. The last word he said
to me on business was that he guessed he'd have to find the best part
of a million dollars before he began to draw in the profits, for,
owing to conditions with which you don't need to worry, all railway
stocks have fallen during the last two weeks."

"I noticed that in the papers," Jacob admitted.

"Last week," Morse continued, "I went around to see the brokers,
Worstead and Jones of Wall Street, and they agreed to carry over
without hesitation. This week the di