.

"Oh, we're all in it--you may as well be! You're on the inside, as it
is! The play got too high for Rockamore, and he cashed in; you've
bluffed old Mallowe till he's looking up sailing dates for Algiers,
but I knew you'd be sensible, when it came to the scratch, and divide
the pot, rather than blow your whistle and have the game pulled!"

"But it was old Mallowe"--Blaine's tone was puzzled--"who succeeded in
transferring all that worthless land he'd acquired to Lawton, when
Lawton wouldn't come in and help him on that Street-Railways grab,
which would have made him practically sole owner of all the suburban
real estate around Illington, wasn't it?"

"Sure it was!" laughed Carlis, ponderously. "But who made it possible
for Mallowe to palm off those miles of vacant lots--as improved city
property, of course--on Lawton, without his knowledge, and even have
them recorded in his name, but me? What am I boss for, if I don't own
a little man like the Recorder of Deeds?"

"I see!" Blaine tapped his finger-tips together and smiled slowly, in
meditative appreciation. "And it was your man, also, Paddington, who
found means to provide the mortgage, letter of appeal for a loan, note
for the loan itself, and so forth. As for Rockamore--"

"Oh, he fixed up the dividend end, watered the stock and kept the
whole thing going by phony financing while there was a chance of our
hoodwinking Lawton into going into it voluntarily. He was one grand
little promoter, Rockamore was; pity he got cold feet, and promoted
himself into another sphere!"

"All things considered, it may not be such a pity, after all!" Blaine
rose suddenly, whirling his chair about until it stood before him, and
he faced his amazed visitor from across it. "Now, Carlis, suppose you
promote yourself from my office!"

"Wh-what!" It was a mere toneless wheeze, but breathing deep of brute
strength.

"I told you when you first came in that this promised to be one of my
busiest days. You're taking up my time. To be sure, you've cleared up
a few minor points for me, and testified to them, but you haven't
really told me anything I didn't know. The game is up! Now--get out!"

He braced himself, as he spoke, to meet the mountain of flesh which
hurled itself upon him in a blind rush of Berserk rage--braced
himself, met and countered it. Never had that spacious office--the
scene of so many heartrending appeals, dramatic climaxes, impassioned
confessions and violent alterc