ontrolling stock of Corvet, Sherrill, and Spearman in the hands of a
youth no one ever had heard of--and one who, by his own story, never
had seen a ship until yesterday. And when I didn't dismiss my business
with a dozen men this morning to take him into the company, he claimed
occasion to see me alone to threaten me."

"Threaten you, Henry? How? With what?"

"I couldn't quite make out myself, but that was his tone; he demanded
an 'explanation' of exactly what, he didn't make clear. He has been
given by Ben, apparently, the technical control of Corvet, Sherrill,
and Spearman. His idea, if I oppose him, evidently is to turn me out
and take the management himself."

Constance leaned back, confused. "He--Alan Conrad?" she questioned.
"He can't have done that, Henry! Oh, he can't have meant that!"

"Maybe he didn't; I said I couldn't make out what he did mean,"
Spearman said. "Things have come upon him with rather a rush, of
course; and you couldn't expect a country boy to get so many things
straight. He's acting, I suppose, only in the way one might expect a
boy to act who had been brought up in poverty on a Kansas prairie and
was suddenly handed the possible possession of a good many millions of
dollars. It's better to believe that he's only lost his head. I
haven't had opportunity to tell your father these things yet; but I
wanted you to understand why Conrad will hardly consider me a friend."

"I'll understand you now, Henry," she promised.

He gazed at her and started to speak; then, as though postponing it on
account of the place, he glanced around and took out his watch.

"You must go back?" she asked.

"No; I'm not going back to the office this afternoon, Connie; but I
must call up your father."

He excused himself and went into the nearest telephone booth.

CHAPTER IX

VIOLENCE

At half-past three, Alan left the office. Sherrill had told him an
hour earlier that Spearman had telephoned he would not be able to get
back for a conference that afternoon; and Alan was certain now that in
Spearman's absence Sherrill would do nothing further with respect to
his affairs.

He halted on the ground floor of the office building and bought copies
of each of the afternoon papers. A line completely across the pink
page of one announced "Millionaire Ship Owner Missing!" The other
three papers, printed at the same hour, did not display the story
prominently; and even the one which did failed to