his business, and that his best year's work had
been marked by a mandatory power which only a malevolent policy could
produce. Yet, somehow, he had a feeling that Tarboe had a steadying
influence on John Grier. The old man was not so uncontrolled as in
bygone days.

"I'd like to see Tarboe," Carnac said suddenly. "He ain't the same
as you," snapped John Grier. "He's bigger, broader, and buskier." A
malicious smile crossed over his face. "He's a bandit--that's what he
is. He's got a chest like a horse and lungs like the ocean. When he's
got a thing, he's got it like a nail in a branch of young elm. He's a
dandy, that fellow." Suddenly passion came to his eyes. "You might have
done it, you've got the brains, and the sense, but you ain't got the
ambition. You keep feeling for a thousand things instead of keeping
your grip on one. The man that succeeds fastens hard on what he wants to
do--the one big thing, and he does it, thinking of naught else."

"Well, that's good preaching," remarked Carnac coolly. "But it doesn't
mean that a man should stick to one thing, if he finds out he's been
wrong about it? We all make mistakes. Perhaps some day I'll wish I'd
gone with you."

Grimness came into the old man's face. Something came into his eyes that
was strange and revealing.

"Well, I hope you will. But you had your chance with me, and you threw
it down like a piece of rotten leather."

"I don't cost you anything," returned Carnac. "I've paid my own way a
long time--with mother's help."

"And you're twenty-six years old, and what have you got? Enough to give
you bread from day to day-no more. I was worth seventy thousand dollars
when I was your age. I'm worth enough to make a prince rich, and if I'd
been treated right by those I brought into the world I'd be worth twice
as much. Fabian was good as far as he went, but he was a coward. You"--a
look of fury entered the dark eyes--"you were no coward, but you didn't
care a damn. You wanted to paddle about with muck of imagination--" he
pointed to the statue on the table.

"Why, your business has been great because of your imagination," was the
retort. "You saw things ahead with the artist's eye. You planned
with the artist's mind; and brought forth what's to your honour and
credit--and the piling up of your bank balance. The only thing that
could have induced me to work in your business is the looking ahead and
planning, seeing the one thing to be played off against the othe