for more. We will need our share, for
we're going to do a bigger business. Even if we don't take over the
Salamander or some other company, we're going to swing a much heavier
premium income this year than last."

"Well," said the President, "since you have brought up the question, I
should fail in my duty to the company if I should let an opportunity
for extending our business pass by without submitting the matter to the
directors. If you find that the Salamander business is for sale, and
they want us to make a bid for it, I will call a special meeting of the
board and lay the facts before our friends."

It was not for some little time that there was any palpable result of
the meeting, when secured, for neither Smith nor Mr. Simeon Belknap was
a man to hurry a matter to the prejudice of his interests. Following
his conference with O'Connor and Mr. Murch, Mr. Belknap spent parts of
several days moving quietly and almost imperceptibly about on
investigations of his own. It was not every company which had
facilities for extending its premiums some three million dollars a
year; and besides that, most of them were being kept so busy in Boston
that they had no leisure to consider so large a proposition.

Both Smith and Mr. Wintermuth were by this time aware that Mr. Belknap
was handling the Salamander's affairs, and the Vice-President kept on
that gifted gentleman as close an espionage as he could contrive to
keep. After observing him casually engage in conversation three
prominent underwriting executives, any one of whom might be supposed to
be in a position to take over the Salamander, Smith determined to take
the bull by the horns. On the third day after the directors' meeting
he took pains to meet Mr. Belknap and similarly to engage him in casual
conversation.

When, a little later, they adjourned from the Club to Mr. Belknap's
office, the matter was practically settled, subject to the ratification
of the directorates of both companies.

The Boston conflagration was not quite two weeks a thing of the past
when Mr. Belknap signified that he had succeeded in his task of
securing on satisfactory terms a purchaser for the Salamander, and if
the necessary executives of that company would be in Mr. Murch's office
at two-thirty that afternoon, he would bring the contracts for
signature.

Over the telephone Mr. Murch said: "All right. Bring them." To his
secretary he said: "Ask Mr. O'Connor to be here at two-thir