"In the general market--not International, of course. He's got all his holdings in that. He has been spending money, though!" Standley wagged his head. "For instance, on the Lady of the Lightnings?" suggested Ackerman, grinning amiably. "Yes, on his young wife, and his new house, and his boats, and his automobiles, and all the regular things. He can't have done it out of International dividends, that's sure!" "All the better that he hasn't," ventured Standley. The old man nodded. "Go over there and call Van," he said simply. V The slender man with pointed beard came up pleasantly, his eyes twinkling. "Well, my fellow sports and department heads!" he said. "What's the good word this morning?" "Sit down," said the gray-bearded man. "We know why you're here, and why you've been hanging around here for the last six months. It's foolish of you, son, to be out for revenge--nothing in that!" "I'm not after revenge," smiled the other, his eyes still twinkling. "I've made my peace!" "Yes," commented Ackerman. "The friendship of some of you gladiators is surely a wonderful thing! Rawn hates you, and you hate Rawn. Don't your ears burn?" "No, my heart!" He laid a hand on that organ with mock gravity. "What could you do with the Lady of the Lightnings, Van?" asked Standley discreetly. "Nothing, absolutely nothing." "Hasn't she any social instincts?" "Plenty, but all gratified; that's the trouble. There isn't anything those people want that they haven't got. No, I must say his position is pretty strong." "But it's not impregnable, Standley," cut in the gray-bearded man, stopping the twiddling of his fingers above his round-paunched body. "Now, look here, we're all friends together, when it comes to that. You belong with us a lot more than you do with that Jasper from the country. Of course, you split with us, got mad, took your dolls and all that sort of thing--we're all used to that--and we all sat tight because it looked good. It looked better than it does now. So, we're friends again." "Of course," nodded the slight man. "I understand that." "Sure you do! Now, it's plain that when it comes to being on the inside, you're there as an ex-director just as much as we are as real directors--maybe more so, for all I know." "Maybe more, yes, that's so," smiled the slender man, his brown eyes twinkling yet more. "How much more, then?" "Why, a whole lot more!" "What do you know?" "I know what I've learned for myself and by myself. Gentlemen, it's on the table! Play the game! I did. I've had some of those college professors at work for me--they're the people that first got us locoed, anyhow. Rawn, or rather his son-in-law, got his first notion from his own professor in his college." VI