n anything
else in the worl'."

"I do not, either," said Keith.

"You was the only one as treated me as if I was--some'n' I warn't. I
fought against you and tried to drive you out, but you stuck, and I knew
then I was beat. I didn't know 'twas you when I--made such a fool of
myself that time--."

Keith laughed.

"Well, I certainly did not know it was you."

"No--I wanted you to know that," she went on gravely, "because--because,
if I had, I wouldn' 'a' done it--for old times' sake." She felt for her
handkerchief, and not finding it readily, suddenly caught up the bottom
of her skirt and wiped her eyes with it as she might have done when a
little girl.

Keith tried to comfort her with words of assurance, the tone of which
was at least consoling.

"I always was a fool about crying--an' I was thinkin' about Bill," she
said brokenly. "Good-by." She wrung his hand, turned, and walked rapidly
out of the room, leaving Keith with a warm feeling about his heart.

CHAPTER XXI

THE DIRECTORS' MEETING

Keith found, on his arrival in New York to meet his directors, that a
great change had taken place in business circles since his visit there
when he was getting up his company.

Even Norman, at whose office Keith called immediately on his arrival,
appeared more depressed than Keith had ever imagined he could be. He
looked actually care-worn.

As they started off to attend the meeting, Norman warned Keith that the
meeting might be unpleasant for him, but urged him to keep cool, and not
mind too much what might be said to him.

"I told you once, you remember, that men are very unreasonable when they
are losing." He smiled gloomily.

Keith told him of old Rawson's offer.

"You may need it," said Norman.

When Keith and Norman arrived at the office of the company, they found
the inner office closed. Norman, being a director, entered at once, and
finally the door opened and "Mr. Keith" was invited in. As he entered, a
director was showing two men out of the room by a side door, and Keith
had a glimpse of the back of one of them. The tall, thin figure
suggested to him Mr. J. Quincy Plume; but he was too well dressed to be
Mr. Plume, and Keith put the matter from his mind as merely an odd
resemblance. The other person he did not see.

Keith's greeting was returned, as it struck him, somewhat coldly by
most of them. Only two of the directors shook hands with him.

It was a meeting which Keith never forgot. He soo