as nevertheless an
honest man, well-intentioned, thoughtful, careful. Haguenin, ever
since the outcome of Cowperwood's gas transaction, had been intensely
interested in the latter's career. It seemed to him that Cowperwood
was probably destined to become a significant figure. Raw, glittering
force, however, compounded of the cruel Machiavellianism of nature, if
it be but Machiavellian, seems to exercise a profound attraction for
the conventionally rooted. Your cautious citizen of average means,
looking out through the eye of his dull world of seeming fact, is often
the first to forgive or condone the grim butcheries of theory by which
the strong rise. Haguenin, observing Cowperwood, conceived of him as a
man perhaps as much sinned against as sinning, a man who would be
faithful to friends, one who could be relied upon in hours of great
stress. As it happened, the Haguenins were neighbors of the
Cowperwoods, and since those days when the latter had attempted
unsuccessfully to enter Chicago society this family had been as
acceptable as any of those who had remained friendly.

And so, when Cowperwood arrived one day at the office of the Press in a
blowing snow-storm--it was just before the Christmas holidays--Haguenin
was glad to see him. "It's certainly real winter weather we're having
now, isn't it?" he observed, cheerfully. "How goes the North Chicago
Street Railway business?" For months he, with the other publishers, had
been aware that the whole North Side was to be made over by fine
cable-tracks, power-houses, and handsome cars; and there already was
talk that some better arrangement was to be made to bring the
passengers into the down-town section.

"Mr. Haguenin," said Cowperwood, smilingly--he was arrayed in a heavy
fur coat, with a collar of beaver and driving-gauntlets of dogskin--"we
have reached the place in this street-railway problem on the North Side
where we are going to require the assistance of the newspapers, or at
least their friendly support. At present our principal difficulty is
that all our lines, when they come down-town, stop at Lake Street--just
this side of the bridges. That means a long walk for everybody to all
the streets south of it, and, as you probably know, there has been
considerable complaint. Besides that, this river traffic is becoming
more and more what I may say it has been for years--an intolerable
nuisance. We have all suffered from it. No effort has ever been made
t