"Man, I've had an awful fright," he said at last, in the tone of one whose ease of mind is returning.

"I gave you credit for more nerve," observed the other, eyeing him in not unkindly fashion over his glass.

"You've been so plumb full of sand all the while--I didn't think you'd weaken now. Why, we're within two days of home, now--and for you to get rattled at this late hour--you ought to be ashamed of yourself"The Scotchman looked into the bottom of his glass, as he turned it thoughtfully round. "I'm relieved to see the way you take it," he said, after a pause.

With increased hesitation he went dryly on: "I've never enquired minutely into the circumstances of the flotation.

It has not seemed to be my business to do so, and upon advice I may say that the Committee would not hold that such was my business. My position is quite clear, upon that point.""Oh, perfectly," Thorpe assented. "It couldn't possibly be any of your business--either then, or now." He gave a significant touch of emphasis to these last two words.

"Precisely," said Semple, with a glance of swift comprehension.

"You must not think I am asking any intrusive questions.

If you tell me that--that there is no ground for uneasiness--Iam verra pleased indeed to accept the assurance.

That is ample information for my purposes."

"You can take it from me," Thorpe told him. He picked up a red book from a side table, and turned over its pages with his thick thumb. "This is what Rule 59 says,"he went on: "'NO APPLICATION WHICH HAS FOR ITS OBJECT TOANNUL ANY BARGAIN IN THE STOCK EXCHANGE SHALL BE ENTERTAINEDBY THE COMMITTEE, UNLESS UPON A SPECIFIC ALLEGATION OFFRAUD OR WILFUL MISREPRESENTATION.' Shall be entertained, d'ye see? They can't even consider anything of the sort, because it says 'specific,' and I tell you plainly that anything 'specific' is entirely out of the question."The Broker lifted his sandy brows in momentary apprehension.

"If it turns upon the precise definition of a word,"he remarked, doubtingly.

"Ah, yes,--but it doesn't," Thorpe reassured him.

"See here--I'll tell you something. You're not asking any questions. That's as it should be. And I'm not forcing information upon you which you don't need in your business.

That's as it should be, too. But in between these two, there's a certain margin of facts that there's no harm in your knowing. A scheme to blackmail me is on foot.

It's rather a fool-scheme, if you ask me, but it might have been a nuisance if it had been sprung on us unawares.

It happened, however, that I twigged this scheme about two hours ago. It was the damnedest bit of luck you ever heard of----""You don't have luck," put in Semple, appreciatively.

"Other men have luck. You have something else--I don't give it a name."Thorpe smiled upon him, and went on. "I twigged it, anyway.

I went out, and I drove the biggest kind of spike through that fool-scheme--plumb through its heart.

Tomorrow a certain man will come to me--oh, I could almost tell you the kind of neck-tie he'll wear--and he'll put up his bluff to me, and I'll hear him out--and then--then I'll let the floor drop out from under him.""Aye!" said Semple, with relish.

"Stay and dine with me tonight," Thorpe impulsively suggested, "and we'll go to some Music Hall afterward. There's a knock-about pantomime outfit at the Canterbury--Martinetti I think the name is--that's damned good. You get plenty of laugh, and no tiresome blab to listen to. The older I get, the more I think of people that keep their mouths shut.""Aye," observed Semple again.