; but Brady thinks that Gorham's scheme means success for
the company as well, and naturally we would prefer to have a continuing
profit rather than one which ceases when we deliver the goods. Lately
Gorham has been talking more with the other directors and with some of
the big stockholders, ignoring Brady; so I just called to make sure that
we stood in on the profit on the short lines, as originally intended."

"How much profit would there be in the short lines for you four
directors?" asked Covington, interested to see how far he could get the
man to commit himself.

"A half-million apiece."

"H'm!" Covington soliloquized. "It doesn't look quite so certain to you
since Gorham began to get next to the other directors and the big
stockholders, does it?"

"They've got to have the short lines, and whoever gets them must pay our
price."

"Yes; but in one case it goes through without any public demonstration,
and in the other it leaves a smudge on each one of the four which you
would be glad to avoid."

"Exactly," assented Harris.

"Well," Covington said, deliberately, "I don't think you can pull it
off. As a matter of fact, since you have been so confidential, I may say
that Mr. Gorham is convinced that there's something crooked, and that is
why he dropped the idea of having Brady and some of the others become
stockholders. We have to maintain a high standard in the Consolidated
Companies, as you can easily understand."

Harris looked at him sharply. "Perhaps the standard is higher among the
stockholders than on the Board of Directors," he suggested.

"I don't quite understand you," was the cold reply.

"We want some one of the directors to steer this thing through for us,"
Harris said. "That's the real milk in the cocoanut."

Covington rose from his chair. "I think it is time to terminate our
interview."

"Sit down, sit down," Harris insisted. "You and I have a mutual interest
in this matter, and we've only just touched on it."

The man's effrontery amazed Covington, but before he could answer Harris
continued:

"I understand that Mr. Gorham is somewhat particular about the men he
has around him, and you stand in pretty close. Now he probably doesn't
know yet that you have been picking up blocks of New York Street
Railways stock, and that you plan to clean up a big slice for yourself
when this merger is put through."

Covington's face preserved its calm expression, though his smile seemed
forced.

"S