o grumble discouragement over his
food.

"They laugh. They'll stop listening for the price of a glass of beer."

"Maybe," George said, kindly, "they realize it's no good trying to help
them."

"They've got to be helped," Allen muttered.

"Then," George suggested, "put them in institutions, but don't expect me
nor any one else to approve when you urge them to grab the leadership of
the world. You must have enough sense to see it would mean ruin. I know
they're not all like this lot, but they're all a little wrong or they
wouldn't need help."

"It's because they've never had a chance," Allen protested.

It came to George that Allen had never had a chance either, and he
wondered if he, too, could be led aside by the price of a glass of beer.

"You all want what the other fellow's got," he said. "From that one
motive these social movements draw the bulk of their force. A lot for
nothing is a perfect poor man's creed."

"You're a heathen, Morton."

"That is, a human being," George said, good naturedly. "You're another,
Allen, but you won't acknowledge it."

Because he believed that, George took the other's address. Allen was
loyal, aggressive, and extraordinarily bright, as he had proved at
Princeton. It might be convenient to help him. Besides, he hated to see
a man he knew so well waste his time and look like a fool.

IV

By late July the off chance had pretty thoroughly defined itself except
to the blind. Blodgett, however, was still skeptical. He thought
George's plans were sound, provided a war should come. But there
wouldn't be any war. His correspondents were optimistic.

"Have I your permission to use Mundy in his off time?" George asked.

"As far as I'm concerned," Blodgett said, "Mundy can play parchesi in
his off time."

George telephoned Lambert Planter and sent a telegram to Goodhue. He
took them to luncheon and had Mundy there, too. He outlined his plans
for the formation of the firm of Morton, Planter, and Goodhue.

"He's called the turn of the cards," Mundy offered.

Such cards as he possessed George placed on the table. He furnished the
idea, and the preliminary organization, and what money he had. He took,
therefore, the major share of the profits. The others would give what
time to the business they could, but it was their money he wanted, and
the credit their names would give the firm. Mundy and he had made lists
of buyers and sellers. No man in the Street was better equipped than