themselves down in their chairs as audiences do in the theatre
when the drama is reaching its climax.

The board, continued Ryder with icy calmness, had perhaps heard,
and also seen in the newspapers, the stories regarding Judge
Rossmore and his alleged connection with the Great Northwestern
Company. Perhaps they had not believed these stories. It was only
natural. He had not believed them himself. But he had taken the
trouble to inquire into the matter very carefully, and he
regretted to say that the stories were true. In fact, they were no
longer denied by Judge Rossmore himself.

The directors looked at each other in amazement. Gasps of
astonishment, incredulity, satisfaction were heard all over the
room. The rumours were true, then? Was it possible? Incredible!

Investigation, Ryder went on, had shown that Judge Rossmore was
not only interested in the company in whose favour, as Judge of
the Supreme Court, he had rendered an important decision, but what
was worse, he had accepted from that company a valuable gift--that
is, $50,000 worth of stock--for which he had given absolutely
nothing in return unless, as some claimed, the weight of his
influence on the bench. These facts were very ugly and so
unanswerable that Judge Rossmore did not attempt to answer them,
and the important news which he, the chairman, had to announce to
his fellow-directors that afternoon, was that Judge Rossmore's
conduct would be made the subject of an inquiry by Congress.

This was the spark that was needed to ignite the electrically
charged air. A wild cry of triumph went up from this band of