when he
was called up on his telephone.

"Hello!" said a small, dry transformation of Gretry's voice. "Hello, is
that you, J.? Well, in the matter of that cash wheat in Duluth, I've
bought that for you."

"All right," answered Jadwin, then he added, "I guess we had better
have a long talk now."

"I was going to propose that," answered the broker. "Meet me this
evening at seven at the Grand Pacific. It's just as well that we're not
seen together nowadays. Don't ask for me. Go right into the
smoking-room. I'll be there. And, by the way, I shall expect a reply
from Minneapolis about half-past five this afternoon. I would like to
be able to get at you at once when that comes in. Can you wait down for
that?"

"Well, I was going home," objected Jadwin. "I wasn't home to dinner
last night, and Mrs. Jadwin--"

"This is pretty important, you know," warned the broker. "And if I call
you up on your residence telephone, there's always the chance of
somebody cutting in and overhearing us."

"Oh, very well, then," assented Jadwin. "I'll call it a day. I'll get
home for luncheon to-morrow. It can't be helped. By the way, I met
Cressler this afternoon, Sam, and he seemed sort of suspicious of
things, to me--as though he had an inkling."

"Better hang up," came back the broker's voice. "Better hang up, J.
There's big risk telephoning like this. I'll see you to-night. Good-by."

And so it was that about half an hour later Laura was called to the
telephone in the library.

"Oh, not coming home at all to-night?" she cried blankly in response to
Jadwin's message.

"It's just impossible, old girl," he answered.

"But why?" she insisted.

"Oh, business; this building and loan association of mine."

"Oh, I know it can't be that. Why don't you let Mr. Gretry manage
your--"

But at this point Jadwin, the warning of Gretry still fresh in his
mind, interrupted quickly:

"I must hang up now, Laura. Good-by. I'll see you to-morrow noon and
explain it all to you. Good-by.... Laura.... Hello! ... Are you there
yet? ... Hello, hello!"

But Jadwin had heard in the receiver the rattle and click as of a tiny
door closing. The receiver was silent and dead; and he knew that his
wife, disappointed and angry, had "hung up" without saying good-by.

The days passed. Soon another week had gone by. The wheat market
steadied down after the dollar mark was reached, and for a few days a
calmer period intervened. Down beneath the surface, bel