“Three or four months ago the father descended upon New York in a fury. He declared he was through settling for Jack’s troubles. He was going to send Jack somewhere far away from New York--and Jack had to take a brace, or the father would drop him. Also there was a marriage with a rich girl that the father wanted to put across--and there’d be nothing doing unless Jack straightened up. So Jack simply had to be braced up. Right there, Loveman, was where you saw yourself losing a big piece of your income. But you did some quick thinking, and you fell in with the father’s idea that Jack should be sent into retirement to reform. In fact, you knew the very place, Pine Mountain Lodge. And on your suggestion Jack was sent there.” “And if I did mention Pine Mountain Lodge, what of that?” Loveman mildly inquired. “You knew Mary Regan was there, and knew she was the only attractive woman staying at the hotel. And you knew that Jack Morton fell for about every pretty woman that he met. Thrown together in that isolation, you hadn’t a doubt of what he would do. It was only a chance--but it was _your only chance_; and if it worked out the way you thought it might, there would be rich possibilities in the situation for you--without your seeming to have been mixed in the affair. Well, it worked out just as you thought it might--and the possibilities lie ready to your hand.” “In case I’m overlooking anything good,” Loveman remarked in the same gentle voice, “would you mind telling me just what these possibilities are?” “Of course the marriage had to be secret; otherwise the possibilities would have been cut down by two thirds. First item, after the marriage had taken place, there was the possibility of getting hush money out of Mary Regan by threatening to expose her. You would never have appeared in this; Bradley would have attended to this detail--perhaps through one of his men. Second, after you had exhausted the possibilities of blackmail, the next step would have been to inform the father that you suspected something was wrong with Jack. The father would order the matter looked into; you would engage Bradley for the job, and after a lengthy examination Bradley would report a secret marriage--a big bill for detective services. Third, you would then be retained to annul the marriage--and a big fee there. Well, Loveman, Bradley,” he ended grimly, “I believe that’s just about the outline of this particular sweet little game!” Bradley was glaring at him, his square jaws clamped upon his cigar. Little Loveman, still with his affable look, was twirling the tasseled end of his girdle around a chubby forefinger. “You’re very ingenious, very imaginative, Clifford. But granting for the moment that you are correct, what next?” Clifford leaned sharply forward. “You are not going through with it! I’m going to stop you!”