hat Mr. Cowperwood grew so fast in wealth and Mr. Stener so slowly?
They were partners in crime. Mr. Stener was loaning Mr. Cowperwood vast
sums of the city's money at two per cent. when call-rates for money in
Third Street were sometimes as high as sixteen and seventeen per cent.
Don't you suppose that Mr. Cowperwood sitting there knew how to use this
very cheaply come-by money to the very best advantage? Does he look to
you as though he didn't? You have seen him on the witness-stand. You
have heard him testify. Very suave, very straightforward-seeming, very
innocent, doing everything as a favor to Mr. Stener and his friends, of
course, and yet making a million in a little over six years and allowing
Mr. Stener to make one hundred and sixty thousand dollars or less,
for Mr. Stener had some little money at the time this partnership was
entered into--a few thousand dollars."

Shannon now came to the vital transaction of October 9th, when
Cowperwood called on Stener and secured the check for sixty thousand
dollars from Albert Stires. His scorn for this (as he appeared to think)
subtle and criminal transaction was unbounded. It was plain larceny,
stealing, and Cowperwood knew it when he asked Stires for the check.

"Think of it! [Shannon exclaimed, turning and looking squarely at
Cowperwood, who faced him quite calmly, undisturbed and unashamed.]
Think of it! Think of the colossal nerve of the man--the Machiavellian
subtlety of his brain. He knew he was going to fail. He knew after
two days of financial work--after two days of struggle to offset the
providential disaster which upset his nefarious schemes--that he had
exhausted every possible resource save one, the city treasury, and that
unless he could compel aid there he was going to fail. He already owed
the city treasury five hundred thousand dollars. He had already used the
city treasurer as a cat's-paw so much, had involved him so deeply, that
the latter, because of the staggering size of the debt, was becoming
frightened. Did that deter Mr. Cowperwood? Not at all."

He shook his finger ominously in Cowperwood's face, and the latter
turned irritably away. "He is showing off for the benefit of his
future," he whispered to Steger. "I wish you could tell the jury that."

"I wish I could," replied Steger, smiling scornfully, "but my hour is
over."

"Why [continued Mr. Shannon, turning once more to the jury], think of
the colossal, wolfish nerve that would permit a ma