ce showed some signs of
interest. He abandoned his somewhat negligent attitude, and sat up with
an attentive expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Weiss struck the table in front of him with his open hand.

"Don't you know," he said, "that Bardsley, Littleson, Higgins, Phineas
Duge, and myself, are the blood and the muscle of this country, so far
as regards finance? Every one of the great railroad stocks is controlled
by us. Prices are more or less what we make them. Three of the greatest
industrial undertakings which the world has ever known, in which are
invested hundreds of millions of honest American capital, are still
controlled by us. If you publish that document, whatever the ultimate
results may be, there will be the worst scare in the American
money-market which the world has ever known. London and Paris were never
so ill-prepared to come to the rescue, as a glance at the morning papers
will show you. You will not find a city nor a village in this country,
or a street, I almost was going to say a house, in New York, where there
will not be a ruined man to curse you and your ill-considered action.
The shrinkage in values in a few hours, of good and honest stocks, will
come to twice as much as would pay for the Russo-Japanese war. I doubt
whether this country would ever recover from the shock. That, Mr. Vine,
is precisely what would happen if you adopt the methods of which you
have just warned us."

Weiss ceased speaking and replaced the cigar in his mouth. Littleson, a
few feet off, felt the perspiration breaking out upon his forehead. His
breath was coming fast. The slow, crushing words of his partner had
worked him into a state of excitement such as he had scarcely believed
himself capable of. And Norris Vine, the imperturbable, was obviously
impressed. Weiss had spoken almost as a man inspired. To treat his words
lightly seemed impossible.

"You have given me something," Vine said slowly, "to think over. I
should be very sorry, of course, to bring about such a state of things
as you have spoken of. At the same time, I am not, as you say, a
practical man. I cannot follow you in all you say. It seems to me that
if this immense depreciation of funds really took place, especially in
the case of undertakings of solid value, the pendulum would swing back
to its place very soon. Values always assert themselves."

"And the people who would benefit," Weiss said, leaning forward, "are
the foreigners who st