tions to me. I shall, under no circumstances, ask you to do anything for me that I might not go out and shout for on the street corners. I shall do this to-morrow."

Mr. Wiswall sat down on Percy's other side, saying:

"Percy, I want to sell my 500 shares of Universal at par."

"They are bought, my uncle?"

"You are prompt, my nephew."

"They are bought for Joseph Hackett, prospective capitalist, and you will lose a lot of money by letting them go."

"I have made a lot by holding on to them already."

"And will make more, sir," said Joe, "if you continue to hold them, Percy says.

"My boy, I have made as much as I deserve. If by letting them go I can rescue a wavering socialist from the slough of perdition, I'll sell. And you will become a conservative, like Percy."

He turned away with a laugh and prevented Mr. Anstruthers from getting to Percy, as he evidently desired to engage him in conversation. The piano was heard in the music The men threw away their cigars and joined the ladies. Nan was at the piano. When she had finished, Joe bade her remain a moment.

room.

"Come, Percy," he cried, "we will give them a duet."

"What?" asked some one. "Mr. Dunbar sing?"

Certainly," replied Joe; "Percy was our crack baritone in college days. When on the steps we sang 'Upidee,' I was the cracked basso. Percy, we will give them that plaintive and inspiring ballad of the olden time, "The Henpecked Mr. Rooster.' Percy's quite human to-night. Play away, Nan."

He brought Percy to the piano by the arm and when the chorus came, Mr. Anstruthers with his tenor, his wife with her soprano, and Mrs. Stanford with her contralto, joined to their own great satisfaction.

"That's what I call a real financial quintet," cried Joe.

There were other songs until it was quite evident Mr. Anstruthers would be compelled to leave without getting the word with Percy he desired.

But it so happened when Mr. Anstruthers was donning his coat that Percy and Joe came to the place where the coats were laid. Peeping from the inside pocket of Mr. Anstruthers' coat Percy saw a package of papers resembling those he had received from Mr. Harmon. He immediately suspected that instead of slipping the package in the pocket of his

own coat he had placed it in that of Mr. Anstruthers. He found his own coat. A hasty examination confirmed his suspicion. He went back to Mr. Anstruthers to say:

"I fancy, Mr. Anstruthers, that I put a bundle of papers in your coat for my own." Mr. Anstruthers hastily took out the package.

"They are not mine," he said, as he looked at them.

"I do not know that it is of much consequence," said Percy, as he took them. "The worst would have been that until noon tomorrow, you would have believed I had been untruthful in a statement I made to-night. I received them when I was called from the table. They contain Morton's proposition to buy the Universal."

"You will give notice to the board to-morrow?"

"Yes."

"Then Raab has lost his fight?”

"In Boston, Mr. Anstruthers, not here. I have been kept in total ignorance of it and only learned from the other side to-night. A great mistake, Mr. Anstruthers. I was worthy your confidence, at least."

Mr. Anstruthers shook his head sadly and said:

"Mr. Raab would have it so."

CHAPTER XXIV

INCREASING HIS WEALTH

Six months after the president of the Universal Supplies Company had formally notified its board of directors of Henry Morton's proposition to purchase the shares of the company on behalf of the newly formed trust, the Great National Machine Company was in smooth operation. Its stock was quoted at

125.

And in hard cash and on paper J. Percival Dunbar counted himself worth nearly $12,000,000.

It had all come about as if in the twinkling of an eye. He had been barely conscious of the friction of the machinery that had ground out so much money for himself and much more for other people. In the very beginning there had been some grating, causing a jarring, he had felt. It had occurred at the meeting of the directors on the day following the dinner of Mrs. Stanford. For the first time since he had so arrogantly assumed the

lead, Mr. Raab had made his appearance. His manner was wholly changed, and as ingratiating as before it had been insolent. An hour before the meeting with Mr. Anstruthers he had sought Percy, in the latter's room, in an endeavor to persuade him to defer the notification to the board until the next meeting, two weeks later. He even held up to Percy the humiliation he, Raab, personally would be subjected to if Henry Morton were thus to be permitted to triumph over him. He plead the service his interest had been to Percy at a critical point, and argued that such service demanded a return. He did not tell Percy that could he prevent a meeting of the stockholders on January 3, he would overturn Mr. Morton's well-laid scheme, but Percy gained that idea in the talk. And out of this earnest persuasion came the acknowledgment that for a long time Mr. Raab had been engaged in an effort at the promotion of a trust, of which Universal was to be a part and in which there was to be quite as much profit, for those concerned, as the Morton trust promised. Percy had suspected this from a period shortly after the October meeting, but had been unable to secure definite information, though he had sought it diligently. He ended it all with this brief statement:

"Mr. Raab, you are suffering from the con