"The odds," he continued, "seem heavy, but I have known one man hold his
own against four before now. You may not understand all these different
points, but I must tell you this. All through America, we millionaires,
who operate largely upon the markets and control the finances of the
country, are hated by the middle classes. We are hated by the merchants,
the fairly well-off people, the labouring classes, and, more than any
others, perhaps, by the politicians. Last month it was decided to strike
a dangerous blow at us and our interests. A bill is to come before the
Senate before very long which is framed purposely to undermine our
power. Can you understand that?"

"I think so," she answered.

"It was to discuss this," he continued, "that we met to-night. I laid a
trap for my four friends, and they fell into it. They have signed a
document pledging themselves to resist this bill, in such a fashion that
their doing so renders them parties to an illegal conspiracy. That
document is in my possession. They all signed it, and it was left for me
to be the last. No one noticed that my name was written across a piece
of paper laid over the document itself. Now this I keep as a hostage
over them. Sooner or later, when their plans mature, it will occur to
them what they have done. They will remember that, so long as I hold
this document, I have them in my power. Weiss was uneasy before he left
the room to-night. In less than a week they will be trying to regain
possession of that document under some pretext or other. I am going to
show you where I keep it."

He pushed his chair away and pulled up the rug from beneath it. Even
then Virginia, who had obeyed his gesture and was standing by his side,
could see nothing unusual in the appearance of the hardwood floor. She