was establishing an
alibi for himself. The only thing I see for you to do--besides laying
for Gresham--is to repudiate this entire deal and get back as much of
your half-million as you can."

"And owe the rest of it to my friends?" demanded Johnny. "Not any. I'll
pay over the two and a half million I have on hand, complete the deal
and stand the loss myself. I'll be broke, but I won't owe anybody."

Loring looked at him with sudden pity. "You'll have to take a fresh
start," he advised as lightly as possible, since one did not like to be
caught expressing pity to Johnny. "You have two days left."

"Guess again!" directed Johnny. "One of them's a holiday--Decoration
Day--to-morrow."

"Tough luck, old man!" said Loring.

"I didn't care for the million, Loring," declared Johnny wearily,
driven for the first time to an open confession.

"I know," agreed Loring gently, still suffering from his own hurt. "It
was Constance. She may not be so keen for that million as you think."

Johnny shook his head sadly.

"I know she isn't," he admitted. "That's the hard part of it. She
didn't seem to care when I had it--not for it or for me. Up to that
time I thought there was a chance. Now the loss of this money doesn't
really hurt. What good would a million dollars do me?"

They had reached the office by this time and made themselves busy with
the final papers. Presently came Gresham and all the Wobbleses,
concluded their business, and took their two and a half million dollars
and happily departed.

Loring glared after Gresham in a fury of anger. He had seen that
gentleman, before he left, slip a square white card under the papers on
Johnny's desk; and, though he did not conjecture what the card might
be, he knew from the curl of Gresham's lips that it meant some covert
trick or insult. Turning, he was about indignantly to call Johnny's
attention to the circumstance when the beaming expression upon his
friend's face stopped him, and sealed any explanation that might have
risen to his lips. Johnny had found the card and was reading it with
glistening eyes.

"Constance Joy!" he said delightedly. "She must have called." He was
lost in pleasant thought for a moment or so and then he looked eagerly
up at Loring with: "I wonder if there isn't some way, besides
Birchard's, that a fellow could make a million dollars in a day!"

CHAPTER XXI

IN WHICH CONSTANCE AVAILS HERSELF OF WOMAN'S PRIVILEGE TO CHANGE HER
MIND

Poll