thing looking toward leaving until I return."

"Don't be cross with me, Mr. Barslow," said she, "for really, really--I
am in great perplexity."

"I am not cross," said I, "but don't you see how hard it is for me to
advise? Things conflict so, and all among your friends!"

"They do conflict," she assented, "they do conflict, every way, and all
the time--and do, do give me a little credit for keeping the conflict
from getting beyond control for so long; for there are conflicts within,
as well as without! Don't blame Helen altogether, or me, whatever
happens!"

She hung on my arm, as she took me to the door, and seemed deeply
troubled. I left her, and walked several times around the block,
ruminating upon the extraordinary way in which these dissolving views of
passion were displaying themselves to me. Not that the mere matter of
outburst of confidences surprised me; for people all my life have bored
me with their secret woes. I think it is because I early formed a habit
of looking sympathetic. But these concerned me so nearly that their
gradual focussing to some sort of climax filled me with anxious
interest.

The next day I spent in the sleeping-car, running into Chicago. As the
clickety-_clack_, clickety-_clack_, clickety-_clack_ of the wheels
vibrated through my couch, I pondered on the ridiculous position of that
cautious Eastern bank as to the Fleischmann Brothers' failure; then on
the Lattimore & Great Western and Belt Line sale; and finally worked
around through the Straits of Sunda, in a suspicious lateen-rigged
craft manned by Malays and Portuguese. Finally, I was horrified at
discovering Cornish, in a slashed doublet, carrying Josie away in one of
the boats, having scuttled the vessel and left Jim bound to the mast.

"Chicago in fifteen minutes, suh," said the porter, at this critical
point. "Just in time to dress, suh."

And as I awoke, my approach toward New York brought to me a sickening
consciousness of the struggle which awaited me there, and the fatal
results of failure.

CHAPTER XXII.

In which I Win my Great Victory.

My plan was our old one--to see both Pendleton and Halliday, and, if
possible, to allow both to know of the fact that we had two strings to
our bow, playing the one off against the other. Whether or not there was
any likelihood of this course doing any good was dependent on the
existence of the strained personal relations, as well as the business
rivalry, generally supp