But I spoke with all the confidence I could assume: "What's the matter,
now?"

"Eleven thousand and twelve thousand five hundred make twenty-three
thousand five hundred; and here are sales of Omega this morning of
thirty-three thousand eight hundred and thirty." He seemed to be
talking more to himself than to me, and to be far from pleased.

"How's that? I don't understand." I was all in the dark over his
musings.

"I picked up eleven thousand shares in the other Boards this morning,
and twelve thousand five hundred through you, but somebody has taken in
the other ten thousand." The King of the Street seemed puzzled and, I
thought, a little worried.

"Well, you got over twenty-three thousand shares," I suggested
consolingly. "That's a pretty good morning's work."

The King of the Street gave me a contemptuous glance.

"Don't be a fool, Wilton. I sold ten thousand of those shares to
myself."

A new light broke upon me. I was getting lessons of one of the many
ways in which the market was manipulated.

"Then you think that somebody else--"

The King of the Street broke in with a grim smile.