“This seems to be my business rather than yours.” The glass moved upward again, but now it was trembling. The next instant it was shivered on the tile floor, and both Curtin’s wrists were fettered in Sponley’s hands. “Damn you,” Curtin said. “I told you not to,” said Sponley, quietly. “Now go back to the bank.” He let go of Curtin’s wrists. “Do you--do you think I’ll take your orders after an insult like that?” “I think you will. You’ve found it paid pretty well before now. But that was not an insult; it was business. You’ll get us both into trouble if you’re drunk this afternoon. You’ll see that that’s so when you’re cooled down.” Sponley paid for the glass, and without another word to Curtin, or even a look at him, left the café and entered his carriage, which was waiting for him at the corner. It was three or four minutes later when Curtin came out, but in that time he had not been able to force himself to order another glass of whiskey. At three o’clock John Bagsbury sent word to Jack Dorlin to come into the private office. Jack found him standing back a couple of paces from his window, looking down with what appeared to be a merely impersonal or speculative interest upon the undiminished crowd in the street. “Mr. Dorlin,” he said, “you’ve shown a disposition to help me out of difficulties before,” Jack looked at him closely, but there was not even the faint trace of a smile, “and I want you to come to my assistance again. I want you to help me scatter that crowd in the street.” “By violence, Mr. Bagsbury, or by guile?” Still John’s face was serious. “By guile,” he answered. “It would take a squadron of cavalry to do it the other way. I’m going to try a bluff, or rather I’ve thought of a bluff that I want you to try. I don’t like that sort of thing, but nothing else will have any weight with those people out there. If we could give them a mathematical demonstration that their money was safe, they’d stay around to get it just the same. They’re like small children; they want an object lesson. “When I met Dawson at lunch I arranged to get one hundred thousand from the Atlantic in currency. I want you to go and get it now and--here’s where the bluff comes in--bring it back as impressively as possible. That’s the whole trick; we don’t need the money, but we do need the effect. I haven’t time to arrange the details, so I leave that in your hands. You have a pretty healthy imagination, and you ought to be able to get up something effective. You may find Dawson over at the Atlantic. If you do, he’ll have some ideas on the subject; but the whole business is in your hands. You get the idea, don’t you?” “I think so. Is there any danger of overdoing it--of being too spectacular?” “No,” said John; “you can pile it on as thick as you like.” “All right. I’ll work it up as well as I can. It’s getting pretty black overhead; if I and the rain strike here at the same time, we ought to do the trick.”