fort edition of the
_Europe Chronicle_--in order to read it to her. Thinking that she might
be getting wearied of his personal affairs, he broke off presently, and
with her agreement, opened the paper at the news pages, calling out the
headlines until she intimated a wish to hear a fuller reading.

He had finished the news pages for her, and was about to put the paper
aside, when the instinct of long habit made him glance at the headlines
of the financial page.

Elaine heard a sudden decisive rustle of the paper as he folded it
quickly, and then came a minute of silence which carried to her
sensitive brain a strange sensation of tenseness.

"What is it?" she asked. "Won't you read it out?"

Riviere's voice had altered completely when he answered her. There was
now a reserved, constrained note in it. "An item of news which touches
me personally," he said.

"Am I not to hear it?"

"I would rather you didn't ask me."

There was silence again. Riviere sat stiff with rigid muscles while he
thought out the bearings of the news item he had just read. Then he
asked her to excuse him on a matter of immediate urgency.

At the post office he managed after some waiting to get telephonic
communication with the Frankfort office of the _Europe Chronicle_.

"Tell the financial editor that Mr John Riviere wants to speak to him,"
he said authoritatively. "Please put me through quickly. I'm on a trunk
wire."

After a pause the stereotyped reply came that the financial editor was
out. His assistant was now speaking, and would take any message.
Clifford Matheson would not have had such an answer made to him, but
Riviere was an unknown name. He realized that he must now cool his heels
in anterooms, and communicate with chiefs through the medium of their
subordinates.

"You have an item in to-day's paper regarding the forthcoming notation
of Hudson Bay Transport, Ltd. Mr Clifford Matheson's name is mentioned
as Chairman. I should very much like to know if you have had
confirmation of that item, and from where it was obtained."

"Hold the line, please. I'll make enquiries."

Presently the answer came. "Why do you wish to know?"

"Mr Matheson is my half-brother, and though I'm in close touch with him,
I've had no intimation of any such move on his part."

"Hold the line, please."

Another pause ensued, followed by the formal statement. "The news came
to us last night from our Paris office. We believe it to be correct. Do
we