arked Riggs. "Oh, please go on!"

"Prestige--and later reconstruction. In the meantime, we don't spend a
cent on running anything, and find out exactly what we owe. Then comes
new money, and," he added cynically, "a new bunch of directors."

"And who will arrange that?" Riggs demanded abruptly.

"One Robert Fisher Clark--if he has not lost all his power of magnetism."

"Aren't you guessing a little too fast?"

"No, it's quite possible. His argument will be that we didn't back him
to the necessary limit--that another million would have done it--and,"
concluded Birch reflectively, "that may be perfectly true. But God knows
we did what we could. What's this one?" He glanced at Wimperley, who
was reading a telegram just brought in.

Waiting your remittance for payroll, necessary that this be provided
to-day, otherwise I anticipate serious disturbance here. It is advisable
that I do not come to Philadelphia just yet as my leaving here would be
wrongly interpreted.

R.F.C.

There fell a moment's silence, instantly recognized by all four as the
precursor of grave events. Birch had spoken the thought that lurked in
all their minds. To continue running meant another payroll to be met.

It now appeared suicidal to have stretched their resources to the limit
of their credit, but not one of them had remotely dreamed that a few
thousand tons of steel rails were to drag the whole structure to toppling
destruction. Birch, as usual, first pulled himself together.

"It's put up or shut up, and we've got to tell Clark right now."

Little Riggs sighed despondently. This meeting would soon be over and
the decision made, after which he would have to face a totally unexpected
set of conditions and a circle of friends and investors who would regard
him with close and uncomfortable interest.

"Well, I suppose it's shut up!" he hazarded unsteadily.

Birch looked inquiringly at the other two, who nodded without speaking,
then began to write. The rest did not even glance at each other, but
found absorption in walls and windows and the big map of poignant memory,
while the long, waxen fingers moved inexorably on.

"What about this?"

"'Under existing conditions and the impossibility of making immediate
financial arrangements for current needs directors decide best to close
down all work of every kind at once, giving notice that this will be only
temporary. You will report here as soon as in your judgment you can