When Keith and Norman arrived at the office of the company, they found the inner office closed. Norman, being a director, entered at once, and finally the door opened and "Mr. Keith" was invited in. As he entered, a director was showing two men out of the room by a side door, and Keith had a glimpse of the back of one of them. The tall, thin figure suggested to him Mr. J. Quincy Plume; but he was too well dressed to be Mr. Plume, and Keith put the matter from his mind as merely an odd resemblance. The other person he did not see. Keith's greeting was returned, as it struck him, somewhat coldly by most of them. Only two of the directors shook hands with him. It was a meeting which Keith never forgot. He soon found that he had need of all of his self-control. He was cross-examined by Mr. Kestrel. It was evident that it was believed that he had wasted their money, if he had not done worse. The director sat with a newspaper in his lap, to which, from time to time, he appeared to refer. From the line of the questioning, Keith soon recognized the source of his information. "You have been misled," Keith said coldly, in reply to a question. "I desire to know the authority for your statement." "I must decline," was the reply. "I think I may say that it is an authority which is unimpeachable. You observe that it is one who knows what he is speaking of?" He gave a half-glance about him at his colleagues. "A spy?" demanded Keith, coldly, his eye fixed on the other. "No, sir. A man of position, a man whose sources of knowledge even you would not question. Why, this has been charged in the public prints without denial!" he added triumphantly. "It has been charged in one paper," said Keith, "a paper which every one knows is for sale and has been bought--by your rival." "It is based not only on the statement of the person to whom I have alluded, but is corroborated by others." "By what others?" inquired Keith. "By another," corrected Mr. Kestrel. "That only proves that there are two men who are liars," said Keith, slowly. "I know but two men who I believe would have been guilty of such barefaced and brazen falsehoods. Shall I name them?" "If you choose." "They are F.C. Wickersham and a hireling of his, Mr. J. Quincy Plume." There was a stir among the directors. Keith had named both men. It was a fortunate shot. "By Jove! Brought down a bird with each barrel," said Mr. Yorke, who was one of the directors, to another in an undertone. Keith proceeded to give the history of the mine and of its rival mine, the Wickersham property. During the cross-examination Norman sat a silent witness. Beyond a look of satisfaction when Keith made his points clearly or countered on his antagonist with some unanswerable fact, he had taken no part in the colloquy. Up to this time Keith had not referred to him or even looked at him, but he glanced at him now, and the expression on his face decided Keith.