enly, without a
moment's warning, to lose in the eyes of the whole of the public every
scrap of character and stability, were to be threatened with absolute
ruin, and a term of imprisonment for misdemeanour. What would be the
effect upon this country for the next forty-eight hours or so?"

John Drayton removed his cigar from his mouth.

"The one reason," he said impressively, "why I hate your Trusts, why I
loathe to see all the power of this country gathered together in the
hands of a few men such as you have mentioned, is that, in the event of
such a happening as you have put forth, the country would have to face a
crisis that would mean ruin to hundreds of thousands of her innocent
people." Then for the first time during this interview Weiss' full round
lips receded in a smile. His spectacles could not hide the flash of
triumph that leapt out. He turned to Vine.

"You hear?" he said simply.

"Yes, I hear!" Norris Vine answered.

"Of course," John Drayton continued, "I do not know how you drifted into
a conversation such as this, but in my last article in the _North
American Review_, which Mr. Vine here will probably remember, I took the
case of even a single man controlling one of the huge mercantile Trusts
in this country, and tried to show what would happen to the small
investors in a perfectly sound undertaking should a collapse happen to a
holder of shares to this excessive extent. It is a painful thing to have
to confess, but there is no doubt that it exists. We Americans are a
great commercial people, and the dollar fever runs a little too hotly in
our blood. We stretch out our hands too far. Vine, I know, agrees
with me."

"Yes," Vine answered, "I agree with you!"

He rose to his feet. John Drayton followed his example.

"My business is really concluded," he remarked. "I had to see your
manager on behalf of a client of mine. Are you coming my way, Vine? I am
going to the club."

"I will follow you in a few minutes," Vine answered.

John Drayton went out, and once more the three men were alone.

"You see, Mr. Vine," Weiss said slowly, "this isn't the country or the
age for Don Quixotes. Fight against our Trusts and our monetary system
with all your eloquence, if you will, but don't tamper with things you
don't understand, or you may do harm where you meant to do good. Now
what can we say to you about that document?"

"I am not prepared," Vine said, rising, "to come to any definite
decision at this