s, a few pensions--it
appeared in the light of a rather idyllic scheme.

"Well, boys, I think this is a pretty good day's work myself," observed
Anthony Ewer, laying a friendly hand on the shoulder of Mr. Albert
Thorsen. "I'm sure we can all unite in wishing Mr. Cowperwood luck
with his adventure." Mr. Ewer's seven hundred and fifteen shares, worth
seventy-one thousand five hundred dollars, having risen to a valuation
of four hundred and twenty-nine thousand dollars, he was naturally
jubilant.

"You're right," replied Thorsen, who was parting with four hundred and
eighty shares out of a total of seven hundred and ninety, and seeing
them all bounce in value from two hundred to six hundred dollars.
"He's an interesting man. I hope he succeeds."

Cowperwood, waking the next morning in Aileen's room--he had been out
late the night before with McKenty, Addison, Videra, and others--turned
and, patting her neck where she was dozing, said: "Well, pet, yesterday
afternoon I wound up that North Chicago Street Railway deal. I'm
president of the new North Side company just as soon as I get my board
of directors organized. We're going to be of some real consequence in
this village, after all, in a year or two."

He was hoping that this fact, among other things, would end in
mollifying Aileen toward him. She had been so gloomy, remote, weary
these many days--ever since the terrific assault on Rita.

"Yes?" she replied, with a half-hearted smile, rubbing her waking eyes.
She was clad in a foamy nightgown of white and pink. "That's nice,
isn't it?"

Cowperwood brought himself up on one elbow and looked at her, smoothing
her round, bare arms, which he always admired. The luminous richness
of her hair had never lost its charm completely.

"That means that I can do the same thing with the Chicago West Division
Company in a year or so," he went on. "But there's going to be a lot
of talk about this, I'm afraid, and I don't want that just now. It
will work out all right. I can see Schryhart and Merrill and some of
these other people taking notice pretty soon. They've missed out on two
of the biggest things Chicago ever had--gas and railways."

"Oh yes, Frank, I'm glad for you," commented Aileen, rather drearily,
who, in spite of her sorrow over his defection, was still glad that he
was going on and forward. "You'll always do all right."

"I wish you wouldn't feel so badly, Aileen," he said, with a kind of
affectional pr