by him."
The artist laughed indulgently. "I say, Thompson, did you see how he
stuck on letting you have a whack at it?"

"Where do you bank?" inquired Mitchell. Steve told him where his money
was deposited. Mitchell shook his head. "I was hoping we would go the
same way, but I go uptown."

Ten minutes after they left the industrious bookkeeper returned
with navvies and draymen, and removed the office furniture to parts
unknown.

* * * * *

When the four financiers got together in Mitchell's room Steve
proposed to continue his lessons in the fascinating game of bridge.

He drank freely and his game was the apotheosis of bumble-puppy.
Archibald, his partner, was much irritated by his stupidity.

A bellboy came to the door. A gentleman in the parlor would like to
see Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Thompson looked at the card. "Mr. A.W. Wyatt," he announced
sneeringly. "You can tell Mr. A.W. Wyatt, if he wants to see me, he
can just naturally mosey himself up here."

"Not _the_ A.W. Wyatt--Anson Walworth Wyatt?" asked Loring. "I know
him--I mean, I know him by sight."

"I believe it is," said Steve with surly indifference. "If you know
him, you know an overbearing jabberwock. He's head devil of the push
that bought the Copperbottom and I don't like his style even a little
bit. He seems to think I'm the dirt under his feet. I'll show him.
I know what he wants, and that's the other fourth of my mine." He
thumped the table viciously. "He'll pay for all he gets from _me_,
I'll tell you that."

Mr. Wyatt was ushered in; irreproachable, flawless, exquisite. ("It's
him!" breathed Loring.) He remained standing, hat in hand, fitted
his glass with vacuous care and surveyed the room with deliberately
insolent scrutiny. Thompson kept his seat, fairly prickling with
antagonism. The others rose with exemplary good breeding.

"Aw!" said the newcomer, after an eloquent pause.

"Mistah--er--Townsend, cawn I have a few moments of quite pwivate
convehsation with you?"

"No, you cawnt!" retorted Thompson truculently. "Sit down, boys. Sit
down, I say! These gentlemen are my friends. Anything you got to say?
If there is, say it. And my name's _Thompson_, if you please."

"Aw!--what an _extwemely_ wemahkable ahttitude!" Wyatt fixed
his monocle on the offending miner with bland and exasperating
condescension. "Weally, you quite intewest me, y' know! I appwoach
you, quite civilly, y' know, with an offah decided