enthusiasm in my favor. We figured out how the company, if
properly developed, could be made to pay a dividend of fifty cents
a share on the stock issued within two years. This, I thought,
would be at least a partial return of the original steal. Brokaw
worked the thing through in his own way. He was authorized to vote
for one of the directors, who was in Europe, and he won over two
of the others. As a consequence we voted all of the money in the
treasury, nearly six hundred thousand dollars, and the remainder
of the stock that was on the market, for development purposes.
Brokaw then made the proposition that the company buy up any
interest that wished to withdraw. The two M. P.'s and a
professional promoter from Toronto immediately sold out at fifty
thousand each. With their original hundred thousand these three
retired with an aggregate steal of nearly half a million. Pretty
good work for yours truly, eh, Greggy! Good Heaven, think of it! I
started out to strike a blow, to launch a gigantic project for the
people, and this was what I had hatched! Robbery, bribery, fraud--
"

He paused, his hands clenched until the blue veins stood out on
them like whipcords.

"And--"

Gregson spoke, uneasily.

"And what?"

Philip's fingers relaxed their grip on the table.