“There!” I thought; “my confounded ignorance has made a mess of it.” 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. “Never mind what I think. I've got the contract for doing the thinking for this job, and I reckon I can 'tend to it.” The great speculator was silent for a few moments. “I might as well be frank with you,” he said at last. “You'll have to know something, to work intelligently. I must get control of the Omega Company, and to do it I've got to have more stock. I've been afraid of a combination against me, and I guess I've struck it. I can't be sure yet, but when those ten thousand shares were gobbled up on a panicky market, I'll bet there's something up.” “Who is in it?” I asked politely. “They've kept themselves covered,” said the King of the Street, “but I'll have them out in the open before the end. And then, my boy, you'll see the fur fly.” As these words were uttered I could see the yellow-gray goatee rise like bristles, and the fangs of the Wolf shine white under the yellow-gray mustache. “I've got a few men staked out,” he continued slowly, “and I reckon I'll know something about it by this time to-morrow.” There was the growl of the Wolf in his voice. “Now for this afternoon,” he continued. “There's got to be some sharp work done. I reckon the falling movement is over. We've got to pay for what we get from now on. I've got a man looking after the between-Board trading. With the scare that's on in the chipper crowd out there, I look to pick up a thousand shares or so at about forty.” “Well, what's the program?” I asked cheerfully. “Buy,” he said briefly. “Take everything that's offered this side of seventy-five.” “Um--there's a half-million wanted already to settle for what I bought this morning.” The bushy brows drew down, but the King of the Street answered lightly: