"Why, that's a very remarkable question!" said Mr. Hinckley. "We surely haven't reached the point where we can think of stopping. Why, with the history before us of the cities of America which, without half our natural advantages, have grown to so many times the size of this, I'm surprised that such a thing should be thought of! Just think of what Chicago was in '54 when I came through. A village without a harbor, built along the ditches of a frog-pond! And see it now; see it now!" There was a little quiver in Mr. Hinckley's voice, a little infirmity of his chin, which told of advancing years. His ideas were becoming more fixed. It was plain that the notion of Lattimore's continued and uninterrupted progress was one to which he would cling with the mild and unreasoning stubbornness of gentlemanly senility. But Cornish welcomed the discussion with something like eagerness. "I'm glad the matter has come up," said he. "We've had a few good years here; but, in the nature of things, won't the time come when things will be--slower? We've got our first plans pretty well worked out. The mills, factories, and live-stock industries are supporting population, and making tonnage which the railroad is carrying. But what next? We can't expect to build any more railroads soon. No line of less than five hundred miles will do any good, strategically speaking, and sending out stubs just to annex territory for our shippers is too slow and expensive business for this crowd. Things are booming along now; but the Eastern banks are getting finicky about paper, and--I think things are going to be--slower--and that we ought to act accordingly." There was a long silence, broken only by a dry laugh from Hinckley, and the remark that Barslow and Cornish must be getting dyspeptic from high living. "Well," said Elkins at last, ignoring Hinckley and facing Cornish, "get down to brass nails! What policy would you adopt?" "Oh, our present policy is all right," answered he of the Van Dyke beard-- "Yes, yes!" interjected Hinckley. "My view exactly. A wonderfully successful policy!" "--and," Cornish continued, "I would only suggest that we cease spreading out--not cease talking it, but only just sort of stop doing it--and begin to realize more rapidly on our holdings. Not so as to break the market, you understand; but so as to keep the demand fairly well satisfied." Mr. Elkins was slow in replying, and when the reply came it was of the sort which does not answer. "A most important, not to say momentous question," said he. "Let's figure the thing over and take it up again soon. We'll not begin to disagree at this late day. Mr. Hinckley has warned us that he has an engagement in thirty minutes. It seems to me we ought to dispose of the matter of the appropriation for the interest on those Belt Lines bonds. Wade's mash on 'Atkins, Corning & Co.' won't last long in the face of a default."