“I am not betraying any secrets. He himself said he had over 100,000 shares, and all the reporters jumped at the conclusion that he had actually a controlling interest. And that is what he will have, unless you help me. I have proxies here for 28,300 shares from trust companies and commission houses. My plan is to get all the proxies I can from the anti-Greener and the anti-Willetts stockholders. Then we can make Mr. Willetts give us pledges in black and white to inaugurate the much-needed reforms and stop his policy of extravagance and his costly traffic arrangements. Willetts will do it to save himself and the road from falling into Greener’s hands. But there’s no time to lose, Mr. Weddell.” The excitement of the game he was playing stimulated him like wine. “And you?” queried the old banker, meaningly. “Where do _you_ come in?” The insinuation was his last weapon. The young man’s was really the only feasible plan that he could see. “I? It might be, Mr. Weddell, that after the election I could be appointed assistant secretary of the company, as an evidence of good faith on the part of the reform management. I can keep tabs on them and represent the Weddell-Hopkins interest. The salary,” he added, with truly artistic significance, “could be $5,000 a year. I have been getting just one-half that.” His salary was exactly $1,600; but why minimize one’s commercial value? The old banker walked up and down.... “By gad, sir, you shall have our proxies,” said Mr. Weddell, at length. “It would be well not to let Mr. Greener suspect this,” added Rock. And the banker agreed with him. Weddell, Hopkins & Co. held 14,000 shares of Iowa Midland stock, and on the next day Rock received their proxies. Coming from so well-known, so notoriously anti-Greener a house, they served as credentials to him, and he was able to convince many doubting Thomases. He secured proxies from practically all the anti-Greener stock held in the city, as well as in Philadelphia and Boston. His day-long absences from the office aroused no suspicions there, since everybody thought he was working in the interest of Brown & Greener, including Messrs. Brown & Greener. All told, the proxies he had secured from Mr. Greener’s friends and from his foes amounted to 61,830 shares. It was really a remarkable performance. He felt very proud of it. As to consequences, he had carefully weighed them. He was working for Frederick Rock. He was bound to succeed, on whichever side the coin came down. Mr. Greener called him into the private office. “Mr. Rock, how about those Iowa Midland proxies?” “I have them safe,” answered the clerk, a bit defiantly. “How many?” Rock pulled out a piece of paper, though he knew the figures by heart. He said, in a tone he endeavored to make nonchalant: “I have exactly 61,830 shares.” “What? What?” The Napoleon’s voice overflowed with astonishment.