tion, not the remotest intimation of the actual truth. It remained
for Champney Googe to enlighten him.

"I've been digging for the root of the whole matter," he began simply.
His hand was clenched and pressed hard on his knee, otherwise he showed
no sign of the effort that speech cost him. "I've been clearing away all
obstructions, trying to look at myself outside of myself; and I find
that, ever since I can remember, I've had the ambition to be rich--and
rich for the power it apparently gives over other men, for the amplitude
of one kind of living it affords, for the extension of the lines of
personal indulgence and pleasure seemingly indefinitely, for the
position it guarantees. There has been but one goal always: the making
of money.

"I rebelled at first at the prospect of the five years' apprenticeship
in Europe. I can see now that those six years, as they proved to be,
fostered my ambition by placing me in direct and almost daily contact
with those to whom great wealth is a natural, not an acquired thing."
(Father Honore noted that throughout his confession he avoided the
mention of any name, and he respected him for it.) "On my return, as
you know, I was placed in a position of great responsibility, as well
as one affording every opportunity to further my object in life. I began
to make use of these opportunities at once; the twenty thousand received
from the quarry lands I invested, and in a short time doubled the sum. I
was in a position to gain the inside knowledge needed to manipulate
money with almost a certainty of increment; this knowledge, I was given
to understand, I might use for any personal investment of funds; I took
advantage of the privilege.

"I soon found that to operate successfully and largely, as I needed to
in order to gain my end and gain it quickly, I must have a larger amount
of cash. For this reason, I re-invested the forty thousand on the
strength of my knowledge of a rise that was to be brought about in
certain stocks within two months. This rise was guaranteed, you
understand; guaranteed by three influential financiers. It would double
my investment. They let it be known in a quiet way and in certain
quarters, that this rise would occur at about such a date, and then
forced the market up till they themselves had a good surplus. All this I
know for a fact, because I was on the inside. Just at this time the
syndicate intrusted to me three hundred thousand as a workable margin
for cer