t serve any longer on the same committees
with him in the Commercial Association. And he stays at the hotel all
the time, and seems afraid to leave this old judge, and collogues with
the German professor and the occultist--and, let me say, I've seen
cripples in the hospital that were worse-looking than she is!--and what
in thunder it means beats me."

"He wants the judge and the professor at our supper next week," added
Slater.

"I've sent 'em invitations," said Alvord. "Anything to please the
patient. I could tell you a good deal about this, fellows; but 'Gene
and I are brothers and closer than brothers; and F. D. and B. goes with
me; but it won't hurt anything for you to know that he's got carloads
of trouble, and you haven't any of you come within a mile of the mark.
He told me all about it the night he got back from New York. I think
it will blow over if things can be kept from blowing up instead, for a
few days--slumbering volcano--woman scorned--hell's fury, you know;
don't ask me any more. But this hiding out won't do."

"Well, I should think not," said Slater. "We've got to get him going
about as usual or there'll be questions asked and publicity--those
red-headed women are pretty vivacious conversationalists when they get
mad, and you can't tell what may be pulled off, even if he acts as
natural as life."

"This supper ought to help some," said Edgington.

"It will," said Alvord. "We must make it a hum-dinger. And we must
see that he shows himself of tenor at the club and lodge meetings and
hops. Why, it's shameful, the way we've let him drop out."

And men being above gossip, at this point the meeting dissolved.

At the hotel, conference after conference had taken place in the parlor
of Professor Blatherwick, and Blodgett and Blatherwick's _Notes_ had
been studied out most assiduously. Judge Blodgett and Florian Amidon
had spent their days at the counting-house, and an increased force of
clerks worked ceaselessly in making up statements and balances showing
the condition of the business. Amidon could now draw checks in the
name of Brassfield with no more than a dim sense of committing forgery.
The banks, however, refused to honor them at first, and the tellers
noted the fact that after his return from New York Mr. Brassfield
adopted a new style of signature, and wondered at it. Some noticed a
change in all his handwriting, but in these days of the typewriter such
a thing makes little diff