ay I ask two questions first,--one is a trifle personal?"

"Please ask them, if you wish; I have no personal secrets."

"That's very decent of you. What I'd like to know is, first, what you
found here when you arrived seven years ago, and, second, what your
resources were at the time? You will not, of course, answer the last
unless you wish."

Clark laughed almost boyishly. "Why I found only the rapids, and--I
had no resources,--that is, except myself."

"I thought so, and"--here the speaker glanced at Weatherby--"we would
like to congratulate you, I had an idea that this was the case. Now as
to the present business, we have decided to make a proposal to your
board."

"I am glad of that," said Clark briefly. He knew that the moment had
come.

"We hope it will meet with your support," Ardswell hesitated
perceptibly and went on, pitching his voice a little higher, "and you
will not misunderstand my putting it rather baldly. The matter depends
on two things: the reduction of the Consolidated capital from
twenty-seven million to something about ten million and the wiping out
of all common stock, and," here he paused again while the blood crept
slowly to his temples--"the other is a change in the executive. These
being satisfactorily arranged, we will go ahead. That's about it, eh?"

"Yes," put in the other, "but of course we could not go ahead, under
any circumstances, without Mr. Clark's temporary assistance. I think
in fairness to him we should make the case a little clearer."

"It's fairly clear as it is," said Clark without a trace of emotion.

"We've never seen anything quite like this in any part of the world,"
volunteered Weatherby, "and it is a remarkable thing for any one man to
have imagined and accomplished. Whether or not we take the matter up,
it will always seem a catastrophe that your work and the work of your
directors should have been interrupted by a speculator. That's one
thing that strikes us both about American business--you have your
lions, and plenty of them, but you have too many wolves. Now, coming
back to St. Marys, I beg that you won't misunderstand me when I say
that the originator of great things is very seldom a suitable executive
for permanent administration. It is too much to expect. In case we
take this up it would be necessary for us to have the administration in
our own hands. You understand, of course, that an originator of big
things is a much rarer person than a