e. "This is Mr. Adam Gregg, is it not? I found your door on a
crack and thought you were not far off."

"No, you haven't made a mistake," answered Adam courteously, startled
out of his mood by the bearing and kindly greeting of the stranger.
"My name is Gregg--what can I do for you?" All trace of his former
agitation was gone now.

"Well, I am here on behalf of my special partner, Mr. Eggleston, who
is also a director in one of our companies, and who had an appointment
with you at four o'clock. He is detained at the trust company's
office, and I came in his stead. The portrait, as I suppose that
little fellow--I forget his name--has told you, is to hang up in the
office of the Portage Copper Company--that's our company. We want a
full-sized portrait--big and important. Mr. Eggleston is a good deal
of a man, you know, and there's a business side to it--business side
to most everything in the Street," this came with a half-laugh. "I'll
tell you about that later. You never saw him, of course. No?--he's so
busy he doesn't get around much uptown. Fine, large, rather
imposing-looking--white hair, red face and big hands--lots of color
about him--ought to paint him, I suppose, with his hand on a globe, or
some books. I'm not posted on these things, but you'll know when you
see him. He'll be up any day next week that you say. We want it right
away, of course. Some business in that, too," and another faint laugh
escaped his lips.

All this time Gregg had been standing in front of the stranger waiting
for an opportunity to offer him his hand and tell how sorry he was to
have kept him waiting, explaining the meeting of the jury and his
being obliged to be present, but the flow of talk had continued
without a break and in a way that began to attract his attention.

"Got a nice place here," the young man rattled on, gazing about him as
he spoke; "first time I was ever in a studio, and first time, too, I
ever met a real painter in his workshop. I'm so tied down. Valuable,
these things you've got here, too--cost a lot of money. I buy a few
myself now and then. By the bye, while I was waiting for you to come
in I couldn't help looking at the pictures and things."

He had stepped closer now, his eyes boring into Gregg's as if he were
trying to read his mind. For an instant Gregg thought an extra
cocktail on the way uptown was the cause of his garrulousness.

"Of course I know it's all right, Mr. Gregg, or you wouldn't have
it--and