What was my duty in case he did not
appear? Had he left his fortune at the mercy of the market to follow
his lawless schemes? Had he been caught in his own trap, and was he now
to be ruined as the result of his own acts? For a moment I felt a
vengeful hope that he might have come to grief. But when I remembered
that it was Luella who must suffer with him, I determined to make an
effort to save the deal, even without authority, if the money or credit
for buying the remaining shares was to be had.
I might have spared my worry. The call had not proceeded far, when the
massive form of Doddridge Knapp appeared at the railing. The strong
wolf-marks of the face were stronger than ever as he watched the scene
on the floor. I looked in vain for a trace upon him of last night's
work. If he had been at Livermore, he showed no sign of the passions or
anxieties that had filled the dark hours.
He nodded carelessly for me to come to him as he caught my eye.
"You have the stock?"
"All safe."
"And the proxies?"
"Just as you ordered."
The King of the Street looked at me sharply.
"I told you to keep sober till this deal was over," he growled.
"You are obeyed," I said. "I have not touched a drop."
"Well, you look as though you had taken a romp with the devil," he
said.
"I have," I returned with a meaning look.
His eyes fell before my steady gaze, and he turned them on the noisy
throng before us.
"Any orders?" I asked at last.
Pages:
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266