money--they must pay me my own price for them, or be
ruined men. The moment they realize the situation,
they will begin offering a premium for Rubber Consols.
The price of a one-pound share will be two pounds,
then four--six--ten--twenty--thirty--whatever I want
to drive it to."

Louisa stared up at him with wide open eyes. It seemed
to her that she understood now. It was very exciting.

"You see," he went on, taking approving note of the new
light of comprehension in her glance, "we did something
that Tuesday afternoon beside buy up these shares.
Semple rushed off to his office, and he and his clerks
got up a lot of dummy applications for shares, made out
in all the different names they could be safe in using,
and they put these into the bank with the application
money--Semple found that--and next day he went and
saw the advertising agent and the solicitor and the
auditors--and got them to pool the shares that I've
promised to give them. A pool? That means they agree
to transfer their shares to me as trustee, and let me
deal with them as I like--of course to their advantage.
In any case, their shares are vendor's shares, and couldn't
be dealt with in this transaction. So you see the thing
is hermetically sealed. Nobody can get a share except
from me, and at my price. But these fellows that have
sold them--they've got to have them, don't you see.
They had their little temporary joke with me on the street
that afternoon--and now they must walk up to the captain's