times? He remained faithful to her spiritually, and she knew as
yet of no single instance in which he had failed her. She little
knew, as much as she knew, how blandly he could lie and protest
in these matters. But he was fond of her just the same, and he
really had not strayed to any extent.

By now also, Cowperwood had invested about one hundred thousand
dollars in his gas-company speculations, and he was jubilant over
his prospects; the franchises were good for twenty years. By that
time he would be nearly sixty, and he would probably have bought,
combined with, or sold out to the older companies at a great profit.
The future of Chicago was all in his favor. He decided to invest
as much as thirty thousand dollars in pictures, if he could find
the right ones, and to have Aileen's portrait painted while she
was still so beautiful. This matter of art was again beginning
to interest him immensely. Addison had four or five good pictures
--a Rousseau, a Greuze, a Wouverman, and one Lawrence--picked up
Heaven knows where. A hotel-man by the name of Collard, a dry-goods
and real-estate merchant, was said to have a very striking collection.
Addison had told him of one Davis Trask, a hardware prince, who
was now collecting. There were many homes, he knew where art was
beginning to be assembled. He must begin, too.

Cowperwood, once the franchises had been secured, had installed
Sippens in his own office, giving him charge for the time being.
Small rented offices and clerks were maintained in the region where
practical plant-building was going on. All sorts of suits to
enjoin, annul, and restrain had been begun by the various old
companies, but McKibben, Stimson, and old General Van Sickle were
fighting these with Trojan vigor and complacency. It was a pleasant