"I don't forget as easy as that," said Borneman sullenly. "Great mistake," said Drake, with a mocking smile. "You let your personal feelings get into your business--bad, very bad. You ought to be like Haggerdy and me--no friends and no enemies. Well, Al, you will have a crack at me, I know. If you've figured it out, you've got me. I may have told you the truth. It's all very simple--either you're right or you're wrong. Flip up a coin." Borneman went off mumbling. Haggerdy loitered, ostensibly to shake hands. "Drake, you and I ought to do something together," he said slowly, with his cold, lantern stare. "Why not?" "Instead of taking a fling, suppose we work up something worth while. The market's ready for it." "And Borneman?" "Use him," said Haggerdy, with a trace of a smile. "Why, yes, we might do something together," said Drake, pretending to consider. "You might do me or I might do you." "I'm serious." "So am I." He shook hands and turned back for a final shot. "By the way, Haggerdy, I'll tell you one thing. Your information's correct. That federal suit is coming off. Didn't know I knew it? Lord bless you, I passed it on to you!" He turned his back without waiting to watch the effect of this disclosure and returned to the supper room, where he signaled Crocker and drew him aside. "Tom, I'll have a little something for you to do to-morrow. It's about time we started moving things. I'm going to put some orders in through you and I'm going to operate some through one of my agents. Put this away in your head--Joseph R. Skelly. Write it down when you get home. Anything that comes through him, I stand behind. We won't do anything in a rush, but we'll lay a few lines. To-morrow I want you to sell for me--" He paused and deliberated, suddenly changing his mind. "No, do it this way. Call me up from your office at twelve--no, eleven sharp. I've got that wedding at three. Ask for me personally. Understand? All right?" At half past three Fred DeLancy, Marsh and Bojo went out with the last stragglers. Fred was in high spirits, keeping them in roars of laughter, on the brisk walk home. He had been with Gladys Stone constantly all the evening and the two friends had watched a whispered parting on the stairs. "I believe it's a go," said Marsh, while DeLancy was passing the time of day with the policeman at the corner. (Fred was assiduous in his cultivation of the force; he called it "accident insurance.") "Something was settled," said Bojo nodding. "They've got an understanding, I'll bet. I passed them once tucked in back of a palm and they stopped talking like a shot. Wish we had the infant safely put away, Fred." "So do I." The streets were unearthly stilled and inhuman as they came back to Ali Baba Court, with all the windows black, and only the iron lanterns at the entrances shining their foggy welcome. "Don't feel a bit like sleep," said Bojo.