"It's a sort of reciprocity without personal liability," laughed Thatcher. "Exactly. I wonder sometimes if what we gain by experience is worth what we lose in illusion.--Aren't you coming up-stairs to dress for dinner, Billy?" Huntington continued, as his nephew and Merry walked past them, engaged in an animated conversation. "Don't wait for me," was the prompt response. "I'm a bear at dressing, and I'll be ready before Dixon has put in your collar-studs." "I feel easier down here since I know that you're off duty, too, and not likely to upset my apple-cart while I'm away," Thatcher remarked to Cosden with a smile. "Did you know, Mr. Huntington," he continued, turning, "that your friend is a wrecker of other men's plans?" "It's the best thing he does," Huntington agreed promptly. "That exactly explains my presence here." Cosden was immensely pleased by Thatcher's acknowledgment of his importance, but he tried to carry it off lightly. "Oh, well," he said indifferently, "you must let me have my innings once in a while. I have to get to you sometimes to make up for other bouts which I've been glad to forget." "You'll join us, of course," Thatcher added, to Huntington. "I can resist anything but temptation," Huntington replied soberly; "I love the enemy." "This cocktail-drinking is a curious thing," Thatcher remarked. "In cold weather we take it to warm us up, in warm weather to cool us off; when we are depressed it is to cheer us, and when we're happy it's because we want to celebrate. And there you are.--How about the Consolidated Machinery deal?" Thatcher changed the subject abruptly, and spoke to Cosden. "Are we going to fight each other on that?" "I'm afraid we'll have to," Cosden admitted frankly; "but I'll be glad to talk it over with you. From here, the interests look too far apart even to compromise." Cosden and Huntington went up in the elevator together, leaving Thatcher on the piazza. "What the devil did that young cub show up here for just at this time?" Cosden demanded. "Didn't you hear?" Monty explained innocently. "He wanted to cheer me up in my 'awful loneliness.'" "Lonely fiddlesticks!" Cosden protested irritably. "Don't you grasp the fact that his coming is going to mess things up?" "Why, no," Huntington said slowly, pausing at the door of his room to give his friend opportunity to finish his remarks; "I can't for the life of me see that." "Don't you see that it's Merry Thatcher the kid is making up to?" "Oh, ho!" Huntington exclaimed. "So that's the situation! It was stupid of me not to understand." "Well, that's it; and I won't have it." "Of course you won't; but how are you going to stop it?" "That's your job, Monty. It's up to you to send him about his business."