Young Lord Stranleigh

o the street. The young man was almost too perfectly dressed. Every article of his costume, from his shiny hat to the polished boots, was so exactly what it should h

, for even the sweet perfection of his attire might be attributed to the thought and care of his tailor, rather than to any active meditation on his own part. Indeed, his indolence of attitude made the very words "active" or "energetic" seem superfluous in our language. His friends found it difficult, if not impossible, to interest Lord Stranleigh in anything, even in a horse race, or the fling of the dice, for he possessed so much more money than he needed, that gain or loss failed to excite a passing

oor of his lordship's town house. His clothes, of undistinguished cut, were worn so carelessly that they almost gave the impression

. It was smooth-shaven, massive and strong, tanned to a slight mahogany tinge by a more ea

fully tended; his eyes were languid and tired, capable of no such gle

r, but are you Lord St

the upper steps, and dr

r of introduction to you, saying I should probably catch you in at this h

view caused him to curb his dislike, although he had not been tactful enough to prevent a hint of it appearing in his words. If the other had gathered any impression of that hint, he was too perfectly t

we won't trouble about his note of introduction. Besid

gainst it," replie

club, and perhaps as we walk along together, you

s lordship paused once more, with a scarcely perceptible elevation of the eyebrows, for, as a rule, peop

dship, as though his own suggestion had e

r, invite me in, and give me ten

rdship's countenanc

pected originality. "Won't you come in, Mr. Mackeller?" and with his la

carrying a huge bottle of ink, like a great dab of black metal which had been flung while soft on its surface, and now, hardened, sat broad and squat as if it were part of the table itself. On a mat lay several pens, and at one end of the

with almost an air of genial

no pillars of drawers; no japanned-metal boxes that

pted the invitation, Lord Stranleigh drew up opposite to him at

's letter, I will glance over it, though

slowly withdrew the document, adjusted an eyeglass, and read it; t

o replace it in your pocket, as there

ller felt he might succeed, but he had already begun to fear that this bit of mental thistle-down would evade him, so instead of going on with his recital, he sat there glowering at Lord Stranleigh, who proved even more

f some of his opponent's churlishness had

apped the o

s lordship, once more a pict

e from each of the little packs in the lower range.

out money," said hi

o, with thirty thousand a

ith it. Here are the names and addresses of four eminent solicitor persons in the city. There is little use of my keeping four dogs and barking myself, is there? I've really twel

charity," grow

lding up a second card-"deals with charities that are our of our purview; halfdays at the seaside, and that sort of thing. Now I come to business. This firm"-showing the third card-"looks after permanent investments, while this"-lifting the fourth-"takes charge of anything which is speculative in its nature. The applicant receives the particular card which pertains to his particular li

"The Honorable John Hazel said that if you woul

his lordship, sitting ba

accustomed to difficulties. I asked you, as we c

ship, "we have already sp

oling wi

ds than listening to a financial convers

who tells me he is a friend of yours,

him? Is he setting you on to me for loot, and then do you retire i

ds to win a bit if I can pull off what I'm trying to do. So, if you agree to my propos

don't need

l, w

elf to the comparative honesty of the dice? Wha

he hasn't got thirt

ight, Mr. Mac-keller, take your ten minutes, and try to make your statement as sim

directness, "is a stockbroker in the city.

r. That is, what I've always expected s

eality a mini

ou have just said yo

my fat

r and Son, and tha

the firm, but, neverthel

ake mining enginee

t man, and preferred me to be an engineer." Hi

oker? Ah, you do interest me

been a mining swindle floated on the public which has not had engineer's reports by men of high standing, showing it to possess a value which after events proved quite unreliable. So my f

a shrewd old man, I take it. He protects himself and his customers, provides a good li

ce he has got nipped, and the next few hours will decide whether the accumulations of a lifetime are swept away or not. Indeed,

commanded

the gold was on the surface, in estimated value a thousand times the amount for which they wished the company formed. They wished my father to underwrite the company for a hundred thousand pounds, and they stipulated that the shares should be sol

erruption," sa

some one with a basket, and gather the gold they needed

it for the full development of their property, but simply intended, so they said, to go as far as was necessary to convince the public that this was an even bigger thing than the wealthiest mine of the Rand, and so loot their gold, not from the bosom of the earth, but from

oney when they knew they would be found

umably honest opinion on its value. Be that as it may, there was no exposure forthcoming. The property proved even richer than they had stated. It so seldom happens in the city that anything offered for sale greatly exceeds in value the price asked for it, that the members of the syndicate were themselves surprised when they read my report. It had been arranged, and the document signed before I left England, that my father should get for them not less than fifty thousand pounds nor more than a hundred thousand, for working capital to send out an expedition, buy machinery, and so forth. Now, however, the syndicate proposed that the company should be formed for something like a million pounds. My father pointed out to them the impossibili

ith in my report he himself subscribed, and paid for stock to an extent that rather narrowed his resources. However, his bank agreed

ppliances as were supposed to be necessary. The rest of the stock was held by the syndicate, with the exception of the amount allotted to my father as compensation for his work. I was to have been appointed engineer of the mine, and had gone to Southampton to charter a suitable steamer, when suddenly an attack was opened upon the new company. Seve

, but I believe I have been able to follow you up to the present point. Now, I should like to ask a que

new it perf

y wish to disparage

my father and

if your father and his f

ced every security he possessed into the bank, but with the persistent pounding down of the stock it's going lower and lower every day; in fact, it is unsalable

ather, does not this s

urely in office for a year. As soon as my father and his friends are wiped out the syndicate will quietly buy back the stock at a

e, eh? Isn't there such a thing

d, there isn't

do you need to protect

thousand pou

ly be the thin end of the wedge. Suppose they keep on, and lower the price of stock still furth

ourse, must look after his own employers, but the very fact that my father can put in five thousand pounds this morning will do much to maintain his credit with the manager, and within a very few days we will have time to turn round. I have already seen one or two financi

interview, his lordship lean

ing on my ign

haps I could get y

e pressed a button underneath the desk, and there entered to h

you bring me fo

my l

be at the door with my red au

my l

, placing on the desk four very thin check books,

in an inside pocket, that I cause my books to be made with only one check each inside. I shall now

wrote out a check, tore it from its a

don't think it will be of t

k will be worth a hundred sovereigns on the pound, if you will accept half my father's hold

, but where the weak point in your defense lies seems to be in this. Your seven wise men have a year to

lord, tha

stock. The bank will tire of holding what they consider worthless securities, and unless your father can get

on my side. I shall print my report, and post it to every big financier in

t believe yo

are shrewd enough to know that they will excite curiosity, and that some other engineer may be sent out to the property. No, I am convinced that if they do not manage to

ause you have been out in the open so much

automobile was announced, and hi

erely from the mining engineer's standpoint. I should like to know what the city point of view is, and that I shall get from your father, i

s at ten, and it is

ng on his guest with that inane smile of his, as they stepped together into

eigh of Wychwood, and there they found at his desk a rugged-faced, white

usand pounds," sai

with it to

to you Lord Stranleigh of Wychwood. Yo

se I do not in the least rely upon your plan," but the young

tly at the newcomer. Being offer

u that my son

es

e in his plan, why did

ther took to him, and in spite of my determination not to, I became interested in the sto

allowing myself to be c

, and I should like to know the modus operandi of a case li

y? They don't go on the ma

ust employ s

ore of brokers, all offering

hese brokers,

an jack

enemies

y nor friendship in the

nce, then, would smash you up

cour

of wild beas

ve-to this business, but unluckily I got nipped just at the moment I intended to stop, as is so often the case. I expected that my holding in this mine would leave me not only well off, but

five thousand poun

utation is good, and I think if I can hold on for a week or two longer, the tide will turn. All my life I have endeavored to

hat the hammering of this mine has c

ed me when I told them this was one of the best things I ever had offered to me. The Red Shallows flotat

selling these shares, and you know thei

, in their offices, in

enty stockbrokers wh

es

our twenty went to the offices of the other twenty, would t

es

principal w

es

core of stockbrokers communicate with

would depend on th

to sell when a bona

d. I see what you mean, Lord Stranleigh. You are going to make what they call a bluff.

lo, so I must depend on you to look after the details. Quietly but quickly select your twenty men; give them carte blanche, but make it a sure proviso that they each attack the stockbroke

fortune, and the sellers will

aturally a plunger, and this game fascin

better than you pretend, my lord, but th

sal, and we ought to have all the stock that's for sale by ten minutes after twelve. Your son and I have be

oung man became so uncomfortable under the fierce scrutiny of those hawklike eyes, that his own drooped modestly like those of a girl, and

tions to a hungry wolf. Here was reproduced the situation of which city men dream when they enjoy a good night. Here, into the den of a stockbroker had innocently walked a West-end clubman, a titled person, almost shamefully rich, concealing beneath the culture of the colleges an arrogance and an ignorance equally colossal. Here was a fow

your possessions, great as I am told they are. You have given a check for five thousand pounds to my boy, and you say it is because you believed in him. That expression touches my flinty heart. I believe in him, and this belief is about everything of value I retain in the world to-day. Now, if you wish

as singularly winning. The usual vacant expression of h

experienced,

'm up to the neck, yes, to the very lips, in this

llege man, Mr

N

little faith in a

t is the worst training in the world for a

rs. They were arrogant people, and their wealth was enormous. Kings and noblemen had deposited their treasures with the Templars, the bankers of that time, and the Order was so rich it had become a menace to the world. Why, your seven nonentities, with which you try to frighten me, are mere helpless puppets compared with those seven giants of finance, and besides money this notable seven had an armed force of veterans at their back before whom even a king with his army might tremble. Bu

the Templars. An unholy desire filled me to try this six-century-old method, the king's move, as we would say at chess, on our modern and alert city. I have some loose cash in the bank, and don't need to sell any securities. For the last ten years my income has been thirty thousand pounds annually, and very seldom have I spent more than five thousand of

sevenpence on the pound share, but

g struck, we will acquire everything in sight before the stuff has time to rise. Come along, Mr. Mackeller, there's not a moment

d out of it. Lord Stranleigh met them in the hall apparently cool and unexcited, but he was coming away from the tape machine, which was recordi

ools have sold some fifty thousand shares

"although I know nothing of city ways,

nd clenched it with a force resembling hydraulic pressure. "You can smash them. They can't deliver. They've not only

nodding his head, "and the bank didn't us

aid the young m

ime to join me at an excellent meal. I've been expecting you, and I've ordered a French lunch in honor of the late Philip