he looks on you
and me, Florrie, but we can stand that, can't we?"

White eyed him, with a show of joy and satisfaction which was purely
simulated. He had seen many editors and many advertising men in his
time. To his judgment they were nearly all lightweights, men who were
easily satisfied with the little toy wherewith he or anyone might decide
to gratify their vanity. This was probably another case in point, but if
a real publisher were coming in here it would not be so well with him.
He might attempt to crowd in on his authority or at least divide it with
him. That did not appeal to his personal vanity. It really put a
stumbling block in his path, for he hoped to rule here some day alone.
Why was it that Colfax was so eager to have the authority in this house
divided? Was it because he was somewhat afraid of him? He thought so,
and he was exceedingly close to the truth when he thought so.

"Florrie's a good lieutenant," Colfax said to himself, "but he needs to
be counterbalanced here by someone who will represent the refinements
and that intellectual superiority which the world respects."

He wanted this refinement and intellectual superiority to be popular
with the public, and to produce results in the shape of increased
circulation for his magazines and books. These two would then act as
checks each to the other, thus preventing the house from becoming
overweighted in either direction. Then he could drive this team as a
grand master--the man who had selected both, whose ideas they
represented, and whose judgment they respected. The world of finance and
trade would know they were nothing without him.

What Eugene thought and what White thought of this prospective situation
was that the other would naturally be the minor figure, and that he
under Colfax would be the shining light. Eugene was convinced that the
house without proper artistic and intellectual dominance was nothing.
White was convinced that without sane commercial management it was a
failure and that this was the thing to look to. Money could buy brains.

Colfax introduced Eugene to White on the morning he arrived to take
charge, for on the previous occasions when he had been there White was
absent. The two looked at each other and immediately suspended judgment,
for both were able men. Eugene saw White as an interesting type--tall,
leathery, swaggering, a back-street bully evolved into the semblance of
a gentleman. White saw in Eugene a nervous, ref