"Please have these men here in fifteen minutes. Make my apologies to them for such imperative summons and say the exigencies give me no other course."

He went out hastily and fairly flew to Nassau Street-to the Amity Trust Company, without a word to Mabel, dazed by the rapidity of his actions. At the Amity he found Smith Edgar, who was the transfer clerk. Calling him, he had a brief but intense talk with him. At the end Smith acquiesced in what Percy had urged.

"I'll do it, Mr. Dunbar, as I'll do anything you want," he said. "It is dangerous work, but I think you can pull it off.'

"Bring them to me at Van Zandt's as quickly as you can," replied Percy.

He rushed back to Van Zandt's office, where the men he had summoned waited for him.

"My apologies, gentlemen," he said, "I must talk quickly, as you must act quickly. I want to hypothecate 200,000 shares of Great National."

As of one accord all shook their heads doubtfully. One said:

"Great National is the object of a raid now on, Mr. Dunbar. We could not do what you want except on a valuation of 70 and at only 40 per cent. at that."

The others mumbled a concurrence.

"Agreed!" cried Percy. "That is about $6,000,000. Listen to me as I put my words close together. I have called all I have done business with in this way, in the hopes you would make a sort of syndicate of this. I understand the situation from your standpoint. Now, I may not need all of that money, or only a small part. But I want to be assured that I may have it to check against if I do need it. Arrange that I may have it. If I use it, I shall pay your commissions, of course. If I don't, or only a small part, I'll pay your commissions on the whole, all the same. As I draw I shall send you a certificate to cover the amount on your terms. Is that satisfactory?" "Perfectly," they replied in chorus. Smith Edgar came in hurriedly. took him into another room. From his pocket Smith drew twenty certificates and laid them before Percy. They were, as the transfer clerk laid them down, for a thousand shares each, duly attested by an officer of the Amity Trust Company. Percy separated two from the pile. Rapidly scanning them, he ex

claimed:

"Very skillfully done!"

He reached for a pen.

Percy

“Here, Mr. Dunbar," interrupted Smith.

"Use my fountain-same ink-same pen.'

Percy caught the idea and the pen.

Rap

idly he went over the two certificates, making marks on them. Then he went to the brokers, saying:

"Here are two certificates for 10,000 shares each. Place the proceeds to my credit, subject to my check."

The brokers filed out. Smith Edgar followed. Percy went back to the room and gathered up the remaining eighteen certificates into his pocket. It was half-past two when this was done. He went back to Mabel. She was at the ticker.

"It is 92 now," she said; "$500,000 won't help you. You must take my $1,000,000.” "I am safe now to margin at $13,000,000," said Percy, almost under his breath. that does not do the trick I am gone." He laughed bitterly between his teeth and added:

"If

"If it don't, J. Percival Dunbar, financier, will disappear from the face of the earth.”

Mabel turned with a frightened face to him, but the ticker clicked rapidly.

"It's down to 90 again," she cried, "to 891.'

She looked at the clock. It wanted fifteen

minutes to three. She murmured a prayer as she bent over the tape with white and tense face. Percy sat down in a chair; lit a cigar; bit it into two parts; threw them both on the

costly rug and stood up. But he did not go near the ticker.

"It is 89," cried Mabel, "and ten minutes of three."

Then the tape told a story of a decline by fractions so rapidly that Mabel could not look at the clock.

"Three o'clock!" shouted Percy.

"Eighty-seven and an eighth," murmured Mabel. "Safe for the day."

She fell back in her chair, fainting.

CHAPTER XXVI

A GRAND COUP

On the evening of the second day of Percy's desperate attempt to break the price of Great National, Mabel was horror-stricken.

"My God, Percy!" she exclaimed, "what have you done?"

"The best I could under the circumstances," replied Percy, sullenly, "it was that or ruin."

"But that way is ruin with disgrace," she said.

They were in her parlor of the hotel. Percy, in a low chair, with outstretched feet, his hands in his pockets, was staring hopelessly into vacancy, an abject picture of despair in his reaction.

Mabel fell to walking up and down the room in an endeavor to control herself and her faculties. Percy had just told her of the desperate means he had taken to extend his resources for another day's campaign.

"Something must be done," she cried,