which, General Halliday, I tell you again----"

"Telling won't do, sir, when doing tells another story. Here are your
directors astonished and vexed at you for coming back with not a word as
to why you've come. O, how do I know it? It's the talk o' the town! They
bid you go back to the field of work you chose yourself, and you tell
_them_--business men--financiers--that you're 'tired and anyhow----' By
Jupiter! John March----"

"General, stop! I'll manage my own business my own way, sir! It's no
choice of mine to speak so to you, General Halliday, but I swear I'll
not widen my confidences--no, nor modify my comings and goings--to
provide against the looks of things. It's the culpable who are careful,
sir."

"Yes--yes--and 'the simple pass on and are punished.' I don't ask you to
widen your confidences to include me, John."

"Shan't widen them to include anyone, under pressure, General. But it's
a pity when you know so much about these things, you don't know more."

"I do, John. I know that when Jeff-Jack left here he left his proxy--at
your solicitation--with John Wesley Garnet!"

"Which, he gave me to understand, was just what he intended to do,
anyhow."

"O, gave you to understand, of course! But it wasn't, John. Jeff-Jack's
still got too many uses for Garnet, to cross him without a good excuse.
But he knows what Gamble's influence is, and a different request from
you would have put his proxy in safer hands. He would have saved you,
John, if you hadn't yourself rushed in and spoken for Garnet."

"And why should you assume that Garnet's holding the proxy has made----"

"Oh, bah! Why, John, d'ye reckon I don't see that he and Bulger have
gone over to Gamble, and are out-voting you--hauling you in hand over
fist? It's written in large letters and hung up where all Susie can read
it--except yourself!"

"Where?"

"In your face. And now you're staying here to stare at a lost game. O,
John, for your own sake, get away! Clear out to-night! You can at least
hide your helplessness. If you will, I'll call you back as soon as you
can gain anything by coming. Yes, and I'll turn in and fight these
fellows for you in the meantime!"

"Thank you, General, but you're mistaken; the game _isn't_ lost. The
moment Jeff-Jack and I----"

"Ah! John, the moment's gone! Ask yourself! Will Jeff-Jack ever join the
forlorn hope of a man who won't dance to his fiddle? _His_
self-sacrifices are not that sort."

"And yet that's the