arition. Still staring, he began to push back his chair
and put his weight upon his feet.

"Well--Thorpe"--the other began, thrusting forward his head to look
through his spectacles--"so it is you, after all. I didn't know whether
I was going to find you or not. This place has got so many turns and
twists to it----"

"But good heavens!" interposed the bewildered Thorpe. He had risen to
his feet. He mechanically took the hand which the other had extended to
him. "What in hell"--he began, and broke off again. The aroma of alcohol
on the air caught his sense, and his mind stopped at the perception that
Tavender was more or less drunk. He strove to spur it forward, to compel
it to encompass the meanings of this new crisis, but almost in vain.

"Thought I'd look you up," said the old man, buoyantly. "Nobody in
London I'd rather see than you. How are you, anyway?"

"What did you come over for? When did you get here?" Thorpe put the
questions automatically. His self-control was returning to him; his
capable brain pushed forward now under something like disciplined
direction.

"Why I guess I owe it all to you," replied Tavender. Traces of the old
Quaker effect which had been so characteristic of him still hung about
his garb and mien, but there shone a new assurance on his benignant,
rubicund face. Prosperity had visibly liberalized and enheartened him.
He shook Thorpe's hand again. "Yes, sir--it must have been all through
you!" he repeated. "I got my cable three weeks ago--'Hasten to
London, urgent business, expenses and liberal fee guaranteed, Rubber
Consols'--that's what the cable said, that is, the first one and of
course you're the man that introduced me to those rubber people. And so
don't you see I owe it all to you?"

His insistence upon his obligation was suddenly almost tearful. Thorpe
thought hard as he replied: "Oh--that's all right. I'm very glad indeed
to have helped you along. And so you came over for the Rubber Consols
people, eh? Well--that's good. Seen 'em yet? You haven't told me when
you landed."

"Came up from Southampton this morning. My brother-in-law was down
there to meet me. We came up to London together." "Your brother-in-law,"
observed Thorpe, meditatively. Some shadowy, remote impression of
having forgotten something troubled his mind for an instant. "Is your
brother-in-law in the rubber business?"

"Extraor'nary thing," explained Tavender, beamingly, "he don't know
no more about the whole