ent they had him on the run. You see
that--my, my, there was a sharp rally. But he's holding on strong yet."

Page took her seat, and leaning forward looked down into the Wheat Pit.

Once free of the crowd after leaving Page, Landry ran with all the
swiftness of his long legs down the stair, and through the corridors
till, all out of breath, he gained Gretry's private office. The other
Pit traders for the house, some eight or ten men, were already
assembled, and just as Landry entered by one door, the broker himself
came in from the customers' room. Jadwin was nowhere to be seen.

"What are the orders for to-day, sir?"

Gretry was very pale. Despite his long experience on the Board of
Trade, Landry could see anxiety in every change of his expression, in
every motion of his hands. The broker before answering the question
crossed the room to the water cooler and drank a brief swallow. Then
emptying the glass he refilled it, moistened his lips again, and again
emptied and filled the goblet. He put it down, caught it up once more,
filled it, emptied it, drinking now in long draughts, now in little
sips. He was quite unconscious of his actions, and Landry as he
watched, felt his heart sink. Things must, indeed, be at a desperate
pass when Gretry, the calm, the clear-headed, the placid, was thus
upset.

"Your orders?" said the broker, at last. "The same as yesterday; keep
the market up--that's all. It must not go below a dollar fifteen. But
act on the defensive. Don't be aggressive, unless I send word. There
will probably be very heavy selling the first few moments. You can buy,
each of you, up to half a million bushels apiece. If that don't keep
the price up, if they still are selling after that ... well"; Gretry
paused a moment, irresolutely, "well," he added suddenly, "if they are
still selling freely after you've each bought half a million, I'll let
you know what to do. And, look here," he continued, facing the group,
"look here--keep your heads cool ... I guess to-day will decide things.
Watch the Crookes crowd pretty closely. I understand they're up to
something again. That's all, I guess."

Landry and the other Gretry traders hurried from the office up to the
floor. Landry's heart was beating thick and slow and hard, his teeth
were shut tight. Every nerve, every fibre of him braced itself with the
rigidity of drawn wire, to meet the issue of the impending hours. Now,
was to come the last grapple. He had never liv