I then called up Mr. James Stillman and was informed that he was at home nursing a cold. Within half an hour Mr. Stillman telephoned me to inquire if it was something old or new that I wished to see him about. When I answered “New,” he requested me to come to his house at three o’clock that afternoon. I was dilating upon the matter for fully twenty minutes when I suddenly became aware that Stillman had not asked a single question, and I so told him, and asked whether this was because he was not interested in the matter. He answered: “I have but one question: how large an interest am I to have?” I offered him 1,500 shares if he would agree to loan the company one million dollars. He said that he would take the stock, as he thoroughly believed in the Title Insurance business and that the City Bank would be glad to make the loan to the Title Company if the latter would keep a balance with them which would justify them in doing so. So I had secured the required credit and placed 5,500 shares of the stock. That same day Coggeshall and I closed the matter. The 1,500 remaining shares were distributed among some of our friends who we thought could help the Lawyers’ Title Company. A few days later Mr. Olcott sent for me, and told me that my handling of the increase of the Lawyers’ Title Company’s capital stock had raised quite a tempest amongst the Mutual Life crowd: that its president, Richard A. McCurdy, had asked Olcott at a directors’ meeting of the Bank of Commerce why the Mutual Life had not been invited to participate in this increase. When Olcott explained to him that we had felt that the Mutual Life was so largely interested in the Title Guarantee & Trust Company that they would hardly be of much help to its greatest competitor, while the Equitable Life was unattached in that respect and would prove a good ally. Then McCurdy said: “Well, why was not I personally offered a few hundred shares, as I understand that you and Jarvie and Juilliard have received some?” This aggravated Olcott, and with a very emphatic designation of McCurdy’s character, he said to him: “So, that’s your size?” and that, of course, was pouring oil upon the flames.