Part 18 (1/2)

”So long,” was the answer. ”I'll come around in a day or two, and we can arrange details.”

The interview had been a hard one for Bridge, and it left him weak and nervous. When he sat down to supper at his boarding-house table that evening he had no appet.i.te. He went to bed early, but he did not sleep well, and the next morning found him exhausted by the interminable hours of dozing, uneasy half-consciousness. He spent the next day in hoping that Blaney would come, though he had no reason for expecting him so soon, and by night he was in worse condition than ever. He would have gone again to see Blaney had he dared, but he felt that such a proceeding would imperil the whole affair; he must wait for Blaney to make the next move.

Day followed day with no variation save that Bridge found the delay more and more nearly unbearable, and the week had dragged to an end and another begun before anything happened. On Sunday afternoon he started out for a walk, but he had not gone far when he met Blaney. To his surprise, the contractor looked as though the past week had been as hard for him as it had been for Bridge. His face looked thin and his eyes sunken and there were bristling uneven patches of sandy beard on his face. When he came up to Bridge he stopped.

”I suppose you've been looking for me,” he said. ”I've been staying right at home taking care of my kid; she's had the scarlet fever.”

”Louise?” asked Bridge, with real concern. ”I hope she's better.”

”I guess she'll pull through all right now,” answered Blaney, ”but she's been pretty sick, and it's kept me busy night and day. You see my wife can't do much at nursing. But I tell you scarlet fever is no joke.”

”I never had it,” was the answer, ”but I'm glad it's come out all right.

By the way,” he went on, as Blaney started to walk away, ”when will you be able to talk over that business with me?”

”Why, now as well as at any time, I suppose,” said Blaney, after a moment's hesitation.

The contractor had an office near by, and at his suggestion they went there for their conference.

”How many men can you count?” he asked when they were seated.

Now that the period of forced inaction was over, and there was something important to do, Bridge forgot that his head was burning and his throat dry, and for the first time in three days he was able to think consecutively. For half an hour they figured their united strength and talked over the individual members of the Council. But at last Bridge said:--

”Before we go any further, I want to know more about this business. I've taken your word so far that we would be backed up all right, and I hope we are. But I can't afford to be beaten, and if Weeks isn't clean busted up, he'll hound me to death. I've got to know more about this business.”

Blaney looked out of the window. ”Seems to me you're pretty late with that talk about not going in,” he said.

”I know I've committed myself to some extent without knowing just what I was getting into,” answered Bridge, ”but I won't go any farther till some things are cleared up.”

”What do you want to know?” asked Blaney.

”I want to know what you're going to do. Voting that stock against Weeks won't do any good. We can't get him out all by ourselves.”

”We aren't all by ourselves. C. & S.C. are with us.”

”That's what I'm trying to get at. To what extent are they with us?”

Blaney hesitated. It had not been a part of his plan to tell of the prospective sale of the stock. He had meant to have the Council direct the voting of the stock for C. & S.C. faction, and then when they had committed themselves by this act, to urge upon them the necessity of selling out and to tempt them with the offer of par. But a glance at Bridge's set face convinced him that the new ally meant what he said, and he knew too much already for the safety of the scheme unless he were furthering it.

”They're with us to this extent,” said Blaney, slowly. ”They're going to buy our stock.”

”That's all rot,” said Bridge. ”We can't sell. M. & T.'s a good investment now, and it's getting better every day.”

”Wait till I get through,” interrupted Blaney, bent now on making an impression. ”Don't you think the Council would vote to sell at par?”

”What's that got to do with it?”

”C. & S.C. are going to pay par, that's all.”

Bridge looked at him incredulously. ”Then we're to vote the stock as they dictate, just on the strength of their telling us they'll pay par for it afterward. I'm afraid it'll be a long time afterward. How do you know they aren't playing us for suckers?”