"Exactly," said the Judge; but he said only that. "And so," continued Osserman, as one who cannot turn back, "our bank will be glad to do anything we can for them." He paused and looked at Stein; but Stein only looked pityingly at him. "Indeed," the banker ruefully resumed, "their connection with our investments and securities is such that we would have to." "Exactly," repeated the Judge, bending his face toward the pink roses at his elbow. But he was a little sorry for Osserman, and so he added: "Not that the East County is in a position very different, in that respect, from most of the other banks." Osserman took a deep breath. "Well," he said, "what is it?" "You are carrying," said the Judge, "a call-loan at two hundred and fifty thousand to R. H. Forbes & Son." The banker showed his relief. It was clear that he had expected something more important. "Are we?" he asked. "I dare say we are." "Mr. Osserman," said the Judge, "the finances of the R. H. Forbes company are not long going to be what they should be. In the interest of your depositors, I should advise you to stand ready to call that loan when I give you the word." The banker looked at the Judge and knew that, before this loan would be called, the Judge’s clients would see to it that no other bank would take it up. That, however, was no affair of Osserman’s: he considered that he was escaping by means of a small service. "If there’s any danger of the Forbes people failing," he said, "it would be only good business to do as you say." "Yes," the Judge assented. "The fact of the matter is this, Mr. Osserman: that young man named Huber, who has been backing Leighton, is leaving Leighton and will be the candidate for the reform people to succeed him." "I saw something about it in the afternoon papers." "Yes. Now, my clients have no objection to those reformers; we see that they may do a great deal of good, if they put a temperate man at the head of their ticket. But we happen to know that this Huber is a young, hot-headed demagogue. He is the kind of man that attracts the crowd. He might be elected. If he was not, he would hurt credit by his wild speeches; if he was, he would undoubtedly upset it by trying to put his impossible promises into action. The safest thing for Business is to take the nomination away from him before he gets started: then nobody is hurt. What money he has (it is not much) is invested in this Forbes concern. My advice to you is to see Mr. Forbes to-morrow; make him appreciate how your bank feels about the unsettling nature of this candidacy, and tell him that you will have to call his loan if the candidacy continues."