"No more I shall," replied I. "No more is the winner of the race the better
or the worse for having the medal. But he wants it."

He had a queer expression. I suppose he regarded it as a joke, my attaching
apparently so much importance to a thing he cared nothing about. "You've
always had that sort of thing," said I, "and so you don't appreciate it.
You're like a respectable woman. She can't imagine what all the fuss over
women keeping a good reputation is about. Well, just let her lose it!"

"Perhaps," said he.

"And," I went on, "you can have the rule about the waiting list suspended,
and can move me up and get me in at once."

"We don't do things in quite such a hurry at the Travelers," said he,
laughing. "However, we'll try to comply with your commands."

His generous, cordial offer made me half ashamed of the plot I had
underneath my submission about the coal mines--a plot to get into the coal
combine in order to gather the means to destroy it, and perhaps reconstruct
it with myself in control. I made up my mind that, if he continued to act
squarely, I would alter those plans.

"If you don't mind," Langdon was going on, "I'll make a suggestion--merely
a suggestion. It might not be a bad idea for you to arrange to--to
eliminate some of the--the popular features from your--brokerage business.
There are several influential members of the Travelers who have a--a
prejudice--"

"I understand," I interposed, to spare him the necessity of saying things
he thought I might regard as impertinent. "They look on me as a keeper of a
high-class bucket-shop." "That's about the way they'd put it."

"But the things they object to are, unfortunately, my 'strong hold,'" I
explained. "You other big fellows gather in the big investors by simply
announcing your projects in a dignified way. I haven't got the ear of that
class of people. I have to send out my letters, have to advertise in all
the cities and towns, have to catch the little fellows. You can afford to
send out engraved invitations; I have to gather in my people with brass
bands and megaphones. Don't forget that my people count in the totals
bigger than yours. And what's my chief value to you? Why, when you want to
unload, I furnish the crowd to unload on, the crowd that gives you and your
big customers cash for your water and wind. I don't see my way to letting
go of what I've got until I get hold of what I'm reaching for." All this
with not a suspicion in my mind th