n my judgment. He might as well understand that this is the
united action of the leading financial forces of the city."

"Quite so," added Mr. Schryhart. "It is time he understood, I think,
what the moneyed men of this community think of him and his crooked
ways."

A murmur of approval ran around the room.

"Very well," said Mr. Arneel. "Anson, you know him better than some of
the rest of us. Perhaps you had better see if you can get him on the
telephone and ask him to call. Tell him that we are here in executive
session."

"I think he might take it more seriously if you spoke to him, Timothy,"
replied Merrill.

Arneel, being always a man of action, arose and left the room, seeking
a telephone which was located in a small workroom or office den on the
same floor, where he could talk without fear of being overheard.

Sitting in his library on this particular evening, and studying the
details of half a dozen art-catalogues which had accumulated during the
week, Cowperwood was decidedly conscious of the probable collapse of
American Match on the morrow. Through his brokers and agents he was
well aware that a conference was on at this hour at the house of
Arneel. More than once during the day he had seen bankers and brokers
who were anxious about possible shrinkage in connection with various
hypothecated securities, and to-night his valet had called him to the
'phone half a dozen times to talk with Addison, with Kaffrath, with a
broker by the name of Prosser who had succeeded Laughlin in active
control of his private speculations, and also, be it said, with several
of the banks whose presidents were at this particular conference. If
Cowperwood was hated, mistrusted, or feared by the overlords of these
institutions, such was by no means the case with the underlings, some
of whom, through being merely civil, were hopeful of securing material
benefits from him at some future time. With a feeling of amused
satisfaction he was meditating upon how heavily and neatly he had
countered on his enemies. Whereas they were speculating as to how to
offset their heavy losses on the morrow, he was congratulating himself
on corresponding gains. When all his deals should be closed up he
would clear within the neighborhood of a million dollars. He did not
feel that he had worked Messrs. Hull and Stackpole any great injustice.
They were at their wit's end. If he had not seized this opportunity to
undercut them Schryhart or