As the noon hour drew near the doctor's heart was beating like a sledge
hammer. Bivens's programme had been carried out to the letter. Stocks
had declined for the first hour a point, and in the second hour
suddenly smashed down two more points amid the wildest excitement on
the Exchange.

There was a momentary lull and the market hesitated. For ten minutes
the sales dragged with only fractional changes--first up, then down.

The moment to buy had come. The doctor was sure of it. Stocks had
touched bottom. The big bear pool would turn bull in a moment and the
whole market would rise by leaps and bounds.

He called old Dugro.

"Buy for me now, Amalgamated Copper, the market leader, for all I'm
worth!"

The broker glared at him.

"Buy! Buy in this market? Man, are you mad?"

"I said buy!" was the firm answer. "What's the limit?"

"Not a share without a stop loss order under it."

"Well, with the stop?"

"I'll buy you 400 shares on a four-point stop."

"And when it goes up five points?" the doctor asked eagerly.

"I'll double your purchase and raise your stop, and every five points
up I'll keep on until you are a millionaire!"

The old broker smiled contemptuously, but it was all lost on the
doctor.

"Do it quick."

The order was scarcely given before it was executed. Dugro handed the
memorandum to Woodman with a grunt.

"It don't take long to get 'em to-day!"

The words had scarcely left his lips when a hoarse cry rose from the
crowd hanging over the ticker.

Copper had leaped upward a whole point between sales. A wild cheer
swept the room. For ten minutes every stock on the list responded and
began to climb.

The doctor's face was wreathed in smiles. Men began to talk and laugh
and feel human for the first moment in two weeks.

Dugro grasped the doctor's hand and his deep voice rang above the roar:

"You're a mascot! You've broken the spell! For God's sake stay with
us!"

Suddenly another cry came from the crowd at the ticker. The boy at the
board sprang to the instrument with a single bound, his eyes blazing
with excitement. His cry pierced every ear in the room with horror.

"The hell you say! Down a whole point! No!"

There was a moment's hush, every breath was held. Only the sharp click
of the ticker broke the stillness.

"It was one point," groaned the Judge, "now, Gott, it's two--now it's
three!"

The last words ended in a scream. Hell had broken loose at last.

The panic had com