made you what you
were, that you had so much more than other men who had not been equally
fortunate in finding a sponsor."

She ceased speaking for a moment, but Sidney Prale never took his eyes
from her face. Be ungrateful to Griffin? He never had dreamed of that!
He always had worshiped Griffin for what the broker had done for him; he
realized what he might have been only for Griffin. But he had promised
not to interrupt, and so he said nothing, merely waited for Kate Gilbert
to continue her recital.

"You made certain plans," she went on. "Certain big business deals were
in the wind, and, as Mr. Griffin's confidential and chief clerk, you
knew all about them. There were millions of dollars involved, the
control of several large companies, and more than that; for Mr. Griffin
and his associates were fighting a group of financial thieves who were
trying to wreck excellent properties for the sake of making a gain. It
was a fight for more than money--it was a fight to keep big business
honest, to drive off the wolves and make finance solid. It was a
tremendous thing!

"And you, a boy picked up and educated by a broker, who had risen
through his kindness, knew as much of the big deal contemplated as some
of the wealthiest and most influential men of the country. There were
men in the other group who would have given a million gladly to know
what you, a clerk, knew.

"You were approached by one of that band of financial wolves. You were
willing to listen. You wanted money because the girl with whom you were
infatuated demanded it before she would marry you. You believed that
Griffin had not done enough for you and you agreed to sell him out--him
and his associates."

Sidney Prale gasped, sat up straight in his chair, opened his mouth as
if to speak, but did not when he saw the expression in her face. He
decided to keep his word.

"The agreement was made," she went on. "And you, who could have demanded
half a million easily for the information you had, sold out your
benefactor and his friends and the decent element on the Street for a
paltry hundred thousand! You sold your honor and your manhood for that.

"At this juncture, the woman in the case informed you that she wished to
break the engagement, because a man of money--your rival--had asked her
to marry him, and she wanted his wealth. Instead of seeing what sort of
woman she was--instead of coming to your senses then and stopping your
deal with the other side--y