elf wittingly or
unwittingly in a dangerous situation, and that public sentiment in
some quarters is already very strong against you. I personally have
no feeling one way or the other, and if it were not for the situation
itself, which looks to be out of hand, would not be opposed to assisting
you in any reasonable way. But how? The Republican party is in a very
bad position, so far as this election is concerned. In a way, however
innocently, you have helped to put it there, Mr. Cowperwood. Mr. Butler,
for some reason to which I am not a party, seems deeply and personally
incensed. And Mr. Butler is a great power here--" (Cowperwood began
to wonder whether by any chance Butler had indicated the nature of
his social offense against himself, but he could not bring himself to
believe that. It was not probable.) "I sympathize with you greatly, Mr.
Cowperwood, but what I suggest is that you first See Mr. Butler and Mr.
Simpson. If they agree to any program of aid, I will not be opposed to
joining. But apart from that I do not know exactly what I can do. I am
only one of those who have a slight say in the affairs of Philadelphia."

At this point, Mollenhauer rather expected Cowperwood to make an offer
of his own holdings, but he did not. Instead he said, "I'm very much
obliged to you, Mr. Mollenhauer, for the courtesy of this interview. I
believe you would help me if you could. I shall just have to fight it
out the best way I can. Good day."

And he bowed himself out. He saw clearly how hopeless was his quest.

In the meanwhile, finding that the rumors were growing in volume and
that no one appeared to be willing to take steps to straighten the
matter out, Mr. Skelton C. Wheat, President of the Citizens' Municipal
Reform Association, was, at last and that by no means against his will,
compelled to call together the committee of ten estimable Philadelphians
of which he was chairman, in a local committee-hall on Market Street,
and lay the matter of the Cowperwood failure before it.

"It strikes me, gentlemen," he announced, "that this is an occasion when
this organization can render a signal service to the city and the people
of Philadelphia, and prove the significance and the merit of the title
originally selected for it, by making such a thoroughgoing investigation
as will bring to light all the facts in this case, and then by standing
vigorously behind them insist that such nefarious practices as we are
informed were indu