in?"

"I have the means," said Cowperwood, "or if I haven't I can get them."

Mr. McKenty looked at Mr. Cowperwood very solemnly. There was a kind
of mutual sympathy, understanding, and admiration between the two men,
but it was still heavily veiled by self-interest. To Mr. McKenty
Cowperwood was interesting because he was one of the few business men
he had met who were not ponderous, pharasaical, even hypocritical when
they were dealing with him.

"Well, I'll tell you what I'll do, Mr. Cowperwood," he said, finally.
"I'll take it all under consideration. Let me think it over until
Monday, anyhow. There is more of an excuse now for the introduction of
a general gas ordinance than there would be a little later--I can see
that. Why don't you draw up your proposed franchise and let me see it?
Then we might find out what some of the other gentlemen of the city
council think."

Cowperwood almost smiled at the word "gentlemen."

"I have already done that," he said. "Here it is."

McKenty took it, surprised and yet pleased at this evidence of business
proficiency. He liked a strong manipulator of this kind--the more
since he was not one himself, and most of those that he did know were
thin-blooded and squeamish.

"Let me take this," he said. "I'll see you next Monday again if you
wish. Come Monday."

Cowperwood got up. "I thought I'd come and talk to you direct, Mr.
McKenty," he said, "and now I'm glad that I did. You will find, if you
will take the trouble to look into this matter, that it is just as I
represent it. There is a very great deal of money here in one way and
another, though it will take some little time to work it out."

Mr. McKenty saw the point. "Yes," he said, sweetly, "to be sure."

They looked into each other's eyes as they shook hands.

"I'm not sure but you haven't hit upon a very good idea here,"
concluded McKenty, sympathetically. "A very good idea, indeed. Come
and see me again next Monday, or about that time, and I'll let you know
what I think. Come any time you have anything else you want of me.
I'll always be glad to see you. It's a fine night, isn't it?" he
added, looking out as they neared the door. "A nice moon that!" he
added. A sickle moon was in the sky. "Good night."

Chapter XIII

The Die is Cast

The significance of this visit was not long in manifesting itself. At
the top, in large affairs, life goes off into almost inexplicable
tangles of persona