nature, had forced me
into that lie, just as the senseless attitude of the public to-day
forced business into a position of hypocrisy.

"Well, that's clever," he said, slowly and perplexedly, when I had
finished. "It's damned clever, but somehow it looks to me all wrong. I
can't pick it to pieces." He got up rather heavily. "I--I guess I ought
to be going. Susan doesn't know where I am."

I was exasperated. It was clear, though he did not say so, that he
thought me dishonest. The pain in his eyes had deepened.

"If you feel that way--" I said.

"Oh, God, I don't know how I feel!" he cried. "You're the oldest friend
I have, Hugh,--I can't forget that. We'll say nothing more about it." He
picked up his hat and a moment later I heard the front door close
behind him. I stood for a while stock-still, and then went into the
living-room, where Maude was sewing.

"Why, where's Tom?" she inquired, looking up.

"Oh, he went home. He said Susan didn't know where he was."

"How queer! Hugh, was there anything the matter? Is he in trouble?" she
asked anxiously.

I stood toying with a book-mark, reflecting. She must inevitably come to
suspect that something had happened, and it would be as well to fortify
her.

"The trouble is," I said after a moment, "that Perry and Tom would like
to run modern business on the principle of a charitable institution.
Unfortunately, it is not practical. They're upset because I have been
retained by a syndicate whose object is to develop some land out beyond
Maplewood Avenue. They've bought the land, and we are asking the city
to give us a right to build a line out Maplewood Avenue, which is the
obvious way to go. Perry says it will spoil the avenue. That's nonsense,
in the first place. The avenue is wide, and the tracks will be in a
grass plot in the centre. For the sake of keeping tracks off that avenue
he would deprive people of attractive homes at a small cost, of the
good air they can get beyond the heights; he would stunt the city's
development."

"That does seem a little unreasonable," Maude admitted. "Is that all he
objects to?"

"No, he thinks it an outrage because, in order to get the franchise, we
have to deal with the city politicians. Well, it so happens, and always
has happened, that politics have been controlled by leaders, whom
Perry calls 'bosses,' and they are not particularly attractive men. You
wouldn't care to associate with them. My father once refused to be mayor
of