of the board to no good purpose, he bowed himself out, closing the door
upon a second attempt on the part of the banker member to renew the
argument.




VI

THE AWAKENING OF CHARLES EDWARD


Ford went directly to his hotel from the meeting in the Broad Street
board room, paid his bill, and had himself shot up to the fifth floor to
prepare for a swift retreat from the scene of his humiliating defeat. It
was hardly in keeping with his boast of persistence that he should
suffer himself to be thus routed by a single reverse, however crushing.
But in a world where every problem contains its human factor, red wrath
accounts for much that is otherwise unaccountable.

Ford was thoroughly and unreasoningly angry and disgusted when he began
to fling his belongings into the small steamer trunk, and it was only
natural that he should turn with a little brow-wrinkling of resentment
when, a little later, Mr. Charles Edward Adair, following his card up to
the fifth floor front, lounged good-naturedly into the room.

"Beg pardon, I'm sure," said the intruder easily. "Didn't know you were
busy. I thought maybe you'd like to know the effect of your little
double-headed bombshell, and I couldn't be sure Uncle Sidney would take
the trouble to tell you."