Aware that every conversation would be noted, Drake allowed several minutes to pass before approaching the group and, profiting by a movement of the crowd, contrived to carry off Gunther on the pretext of showing him a new purchase of Chinese porcelains in the library. They remained a full twenty minutes, engrossed in the examination of the porcelains and Renaissance bronzes, of which Gunther was a connoisseur, and returned without a mention of matters financial. But as Wall Street men are as credulous as children, this interview made an immense impression, for Gunther was of such power that no broker was unwilling to concede that the slightest move of his could be without significance. To be again in the arena of manipulation awakened all the boyish qualities of cunning and excitement in Drake. In the next hour he conversed with a dozen men seemingly bending before their advice, bullish or bearish, mixing up his orders so adroitly that had the entire list been spread before one man, it would have been impossible to say which was the principal point of attack. At two o'clock, as the party began to thin out, Borneman and Haggerdy came up to shake hands. Borneman restless and worried, Haggerdy impassive and brooding. "What, going already? Haven't they been treating you right?" said Drake jovially. "Dan, you've a great poker face," said Borneman slyly. "In what way?" "That was quite a little bluff you threw into us--those selling orders. Orders are cheap _before_ business hours." "So you think I'll call you up in the morning, bright and early, and cancel?" Borneman nodded with a nervous, jerky motion of his head. "I suppose you've been sort of fretting over those orders all evening. Trouble with you, Al, is _you_ don't play poker: great game. Teaches you to size up a bluff from a stacked hand." "I've got your game figured out this time all right," said Borneman, with his ferret's squint. "Have you told Haggerdy?" said Drake laughing. "You have. Want a little bet on it? A thousand I'll tell you exactly what you've figured out." He took a bill from his pocketbook and held it out tauntingly. "Are you game?" Borneman hesitated and frowned. "Come on," said Drake, with a mischievous twinkle, "the information's worth something." This last decided Borneman. He nodded to Haggerdy. "My check to-morrow if you win. What exactly have I figured your game to be?" "You've figured out that I am long to the guzzle in the market and that I'm putting up a bluff at running down values to get you fellows to run stocks up on me while I unload. Credit that thousand to my account. I'm going to use it!" Haggerdy smiled grimly and handed over the bill, while Borneman, completely perplexed, stood staring at the manipulator like a startled child. "Al, don't buck up against me," said Drake, serious all at once. "Of course you will, but remember I warned you. Let bygones be bygones or trim some other fellow."