e city for the
first time. Suddenly he saw a crowd of men engaged in what seemed to be
a desperate struggle in the middle of the road. They were grappling with
each other, brandishing their arms and fists, yelling like Indians. It
looked like a riot of serious proportions, and he wondered why the
policeman who stood close by calmly looking on viewed it with such
unconcern.

"What's the matter?" he queried of a passer-by.

"Matter--where?" asked the stranger, looking in all directions.

"Don't you see those men fighting?" said Armitage.

The stranger grinned.

"Say, you're from Jersey, ain't you? That's no fight. They're curb
brokers trying to unload on each other their mining stocks."

Armitage felt foolish. To hide his confusion he asked:

"Can you direct me to the offices of Coxe and Willoughby, the attorneys?
I'm a stranger here."

The man pointed a little farther up the street.

"See that tall building on the left? That's it."

Thanking his informant Armitage hurried on, and, going up the stone
steps of No. 27, passed through a revolving door kept whirling by an
endless procession of brokers, clerks and messenger-boys who hurried in
and out. Following a long corridor, he came to a large open space
completely lined with elevators. Some were expresses which made no stop
below the 25th floor; the rest were locals stopping at each story, on
request.

"Coxe and Willoughby?" he said interrogatively to the uniformed starter.

"Twenty-seventh floor. Take the express," was the quick reply.

Armitage entered the waiting car. Other persons followed him in, and it
was comfortably filled when the starter cried sharply:

"Right!"

Instantly the attendant closed the gates and touched a lever. Armitage
felt his stomach leap into his throat. They were flying upward at a
speed of fifty miles an hour, and before he had time to gasp, the car
had reached the first stop, nearly 300 feet up in the air. Two stories
more and he had reached the floor he wanted.

"Along the corridor to your left, first door to the right," shouted the
elevator man.

Armitage followed the handsome corridor with its marble walls, inlaid
floors and hard-wood finishing until he came to a glass door on which
was inscribed in bold black letters:

COXE AND WILLOUGHBY

Counsellors at law

He opened the door, and found himself in an outer office in which behind
a rail were two foppish-looking clerks seated at desks. Neither of them
made an at