and half sat again on the arm of his chair.

"Now I'll tell you what we will do in this matter," said he crisply.

But Newmark unexpectedly took the aggressive.

"We'll follow," said he, "the original programme, as laid down by
myself. I'm tired of dealing with blundering fools. Heinzman's mortgage
will be foreclosed; and you will hand over as per the agreement your
Boom Company stock."

Orde stared at him in amazement.

"I must say you have good nerve," he said; "you don't seem to realise
that you are pretty well tangled up. I don't know what they call it:
criminal conspiracy, or something of that sort, I suppose. So far from
handing over to you the bulk of my property, I can send you to the
penitentiary."

"Nonsense," rejoined Newmark, leaning forward in his turn. "I know you
too well, Jack Orde. You're a fool of more kinds than I care to count,
and this is one of the kinds. Do you seriously mean to say that you dare
try to prosecute me? Just as sure as you do, I'll put Heinzman in the
pen too. I've got it on him, COLD. He's a bribe giver--and somewhat of a
criminal conspirator himself."

"Well," said Orde.

Newmark leaned back with an amused little chuckle. "If the man hadn't
come to you and given the whole show away, you'd have lost every cent
you owned. He did you the biggest favour in his power. And for your
benefit I'll tell you what you can easily substantiate; I forced him
into this deal with me. I had this bribery case on him; and in addition
his own affairs were all tied up."

"I knew that," replied Orde.

"What had the man to gain by telling you?" pursued Newmark. "Nothing at
all. What had he to lose? Everything: his property, his social position,
his daughter's esteem, which the old fool holds higher than any of them.
You could put me in the pen, perhaps--with Heinzman's testimony. But
the minute Heinzman appears on the stand, I'll land him high and dry and
gasping, without a chance to flop."

He paused a moment to puff at his cigar. Finding it had gone out, he
laid the butt carefully on the ash tray at his elbow.

"I'm not much used to giving advice," he went on, "least of all when it
is at all likely to be taken. But I'll offer you some. Throw Heinzman
over. Let him go to the pen. He's been crooked, and a fool."

"That's what you'd do, I suppose," said Orde.

"Exactly that. You owe nothing to Heinzman; but something to what
you would probably call repentance, but which is in reality a maw