rely the direct
reflection of his own abilities; whatever he did ill seemed far more
stupid than a similar blunder made by a less intimate subordinate--what
excuse for Culver's going wrong with the guiding hand of the Great Man
always upon him?

In this, his first important independent assignment, he had at last an
opportunity to show his master what he could do, to show that he had
not learned the Dumont methods parrot-fashion, but intelligently, that
he was no mere reflecting asteroid to the Dumont sun, but a
self-luminous, if lesser and dependent, star.

Dumont was in a peculiarly appreciative mood.

"Why, the fellow's got brains--GOOD brains," was his inward comment
again and again as Culver unfolded the information he had
collected--clear, accurate, non-essentials discarded, essentials given
in detail, hidden points brought to the surface.

It was proof positive of Dumont's profound indifference to money that
he listened without any emotion either of anger or of regret to the
first part of Culver's tale, the survey of the wreck--what had been
forty millions now reduced to a dubious six. Dumont had neither time
nor strength for emotion; he was using all his mentality in gaging what
he had for the work in hand--just how long and how efficient was the
broken sword with which he must face his enemies in a struggle that
meant utter ruin to him if he failed. For he felt that if he should
fail he would never again be able to gather himself together to renew
the combat; either he would die outright or he would abandon himself to
the appetite which had just shown itself dangerously near to being the
strongest of the several passions ruling him.

When Culver passed to the Herron coterie and the Fanning-Smiths and
Great Lakes and Gulf, Dumont was still motionless--he was now
estimating the strength and the weaknesses of the enemy, and
miscalculation would be fatal. At the end of three-quarters of an hour
Culver stopped the steady, swift flow of his report--"That's all the
important facts. There's a lot more but it would be largely
repetition."

Dumont looked at him with an expression that made him proud. "Thanks,
Culver. At the next annual meeting we'll elect you to Giddings' place.
Please go back down-town and--" He rapidly indicated half a dozen
points which Culver had failed to see and investigate--the best
subordinate has not the master's eye; if he had, he would not be a
subordinate.

Dumont waved his han