cornered Gantry.

"I meant to hunt you up this afternoon," he began, "but I was otherwise
spoken for. What have you done?"

"I've cabled a conditional acceptance of the offer I was telling you
about."

"But you haven't resigned?"

"No. Mr. McVickar will probably be here within a day or two, and I'll
make it verbal."

Yielding to the urgings of the younger Gordon, Patricia was going to the
piano, and Blount snatched at his opportunity.

"Give me a few minutes in the smoking-room," he said to the traffic
manager, and when the privacy was secured: "You needn't resign, Dick.
There isn't going to be any earthquake--of the kind you were fearing."

"You don't mean that the Honorable Senator has turned you down, Evan?"

"Just that."

"I'm sorry," said the friend in need, feeling his way cautiously. Then
he added: "You needn't tell me anything more than you want to, you
know."

"There isn't much to tell. I asked for bare justice, and it was
refused."

"Your father has the papers?"

"He neither admitted nor denied."

"But you didn't quarrel?"

Blount's smile was mirthless. "We are here together, as you see. After
all is said, we are still father and son."

"Of course; that's as it should be, Evan. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know: go on fighting until I'm wiped out, I suppose. And that
reminds me: have you seen that fellow Gryson within the last day or
two?"

Gantry dropped into the depths of a lounging-chair and lighted a
cigarette. "So you're after Thomas Matthew, too, are you? Kittredge has
been ransacking the town for him all day, and up to a couple of hours
ago he hadn't found him. What's in the wind?"

"I don't know, but I mean to find out. What can you tell me about
Gryson--more than you have already told me?"

"Not very much, I guess. He's a scalawag, of course, but unhappily for
all of us he is a scalawag with a pull. Kittredge has been dickering
with him--I don't mind telling you that now."

"What is the nature of the pull?"

"Votes," said Gantry succinctly.

"Straight or crooked?"

"You may search me. But knowing Tom Gryson a little, I should put my
money on the marked card."

"Naturally," said Blount dryly. "Still, I am needing to be shown. I've
had two or three chances to size Gryson up, and he didn't impress me as
a man with any ability beyond the requirements of a bully and the lowest
type of a political heeler."

"Tom is bigger than that; I don't know how much bigger, b