ently a few things have come to my notice which cause me to
think differently. It is very plain to me now that the man is
thoroughly bad--from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.
It's a pity the city has to endure him."

"So you're just beginning to find that out, are you, Hosmer?" answered
Schryhart. "Well, I'll not say I told you so. Perhaps you'll agree
with me now that the responsible people of Chicago ought to do
something about it."

Hand, a very heavy, taciturn man, merely looked at him. "I'll be ready
enough to do," he said, "when I see how and what's to be done."

A little later Schryhart, meeting Duane Kingsland, learned the true
source of Hand's feeling against Cowperwood, and was not slow in
transferring this titbit to Merrill, Simms, and others. Merrill, who,
though Cowperwood had refused to extend his La Salle Street tunnel loop
about State Street and his store, had hitherto always liked him after a
fashion--remotely admired his courage and daring--was now appropriately
shocked.

"Why, Anson," observed Schryhart, "the man is no good. He has the
heart of a hyena and the friendliness of a scorpion. You heard how he
treated Hand, didn't you?"

"No," replied Merrill, "I didn't."

"Well, it's this way, so I hear." And Schryhart leaned over and
confidentially communicated considerable information into Mr. Merrill's
left ear.

The latter raised his eyebrows. "Indeed!" he said.

"And the way he came to meet her," added Schryhart, contemptuously,
"was this. He went to Hand originally to borrow two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars on West Chicago Street Railway. Angry? The word is no
name for it."

"You don't say so," commented Merrill, dryly, though privately
interested and fascinated, for Mrs. Hand had always seemed very
attractive to him. "I don't wonder."

He recalled that his own wife had recently insisted on inviting
Cowperwood once.

Similarly Hand, meeting Arneel not so long afterward, confided to him
that Cowperwood was trying to repudiate a sacred agreement. Arneel was
grieved and surprised. It was enough for him to know that Hand had
been seriously injured. Between the two of them they now decided to
indicate to Addison, as president of the Lake City Bank, that all
relations with Cowperwood and the Chicago Trust Company must cease.
The result of this was, not long after, that Addison, very suave and
gracious, agreed to give Cowperwood due warning that all his loan