tial
insanity.

By February of the next year, he had promoted Harry Linden to Quay's old
job, gotten rid of the deadwood that showed up so plainly on the
individual checks, and the total efficiency average had reached
thirty-three percent. His and Mary's anniversary was on the fourth of
March, and when that day arrived, he was certain that he had reached
that point where he could expand to another plant.

He was about to order her a mink stole in celebration, but it was also
that day that he was informed that she was suing him for divorce. He
rushed home, furious, but she was gone. She had taken her clothes and
jewelry and the second Cadillac. In fact, all that she had left of her
personal possessions were the antique desk and chair. When the trial was
over, months later, she had won enough support to take her to France,
where, he learned, she purchased a chateau at Cannes.

He tried to lose himself in his work, but for the first time in his
life, he had begun to get faintly worried. It was only a sliver of
worry, but it kept him from going on with the expansion. Stocks in the
company had turned over at an amazingly rapid rate, and while it was
still nothing more than intuition on his part, he began to tighten up,
readying himself to meet anything.

The explosion came in July.

Drindor Products had picked up forty-nine percent of the stock on the
market, by using secondary buyers. There had been a leak somewhere,
Cutter realized, that had told his competitor, Drindor, the kind of
profit he was making. He knew who it had been instantly, but before he
could fire Harry Linden, all of his walls crashed down. Four months
before, to put more _esprit de corps_ into Linden, he had allowed
Linden eight shares of his own stock, intending to pick it up later from
the market. Linden had coerced with Drindor. Cutter lost control.

A board of directors was elected by Drindor, and Drindor assumed the
presidency by proxy. Harry Linden took over Cutter's office, as Vice
President In Charge.

Cutter had wildly ordered Edward Bolen to remove the Confidets one week
before, but even then he had known that it was too late, and the
smiling, knowing look on Bolen's face had infuriated him to a screaming
rage. Bolen remained undisturbed, and quietly carried the disks away.
Cutter, when he left his office that final day, moved slowly, very
slowly.

* * * * *

He brooded for many long days after that, se