The Profiteers

n intruder. Perhaps, Josephine, I may be favoured with an introduction to this gentle

age but with crow's-feet about his eyes and sagging pockets of flesh underneath them. His closely trimmed, sandy moustache was streaked with grey, his eyes were a little

said. "A waiter rang up from somew

. "Do not distress yourself, I pray. I have dined at the club, and I have only come home to change.

ored the inso

band, I think, Mr. Wing

Lord Dre

anner underwent

ate from New Yor

th outstretched hand. All the amiability which he could muste

ps, and your name was the last mentioned. I, in fact, accepted a commission to find you out and convey a messag

side of the slighter man, his height

urned the newcomer's greeting without enthusiasm, "I cannot imagi

on was polite

r Phipps is an aw

ctor of the British a

Wingate sa

dlinton announced,

f it," was th

approve of

do

shoulders. He lit a cigaret

tunately, the matter which I want to discuss with you lies right outside the operations of the B. & I. When can you give me a few moments

s a little

edlinton," he said. "Can't you give me so

It's more Phipps' affair than mine. I'll promise, thoug

ncient standing. We meet as acquaintances because the conventions of the world make anything else ridiculous. One of my objects in coming to

ly unruffled. He shrugged his s

drawn into a quarrel. I am very pleased to see you here. My wife's friends are always mine.-If you will excuse me, I will go

Wingate, and closed the door behind him carefully. They heard his retreatin

mind?" h

te sure that he never believed it possible that I should be found holding another man's

ly, "that your husband may have further s

d. "Is tha

You will find out before long that

lly, "what could have made him so

ter Phipps, too! What can they want with me down at Throgmorton St

much in earnes

ce darkened

pect-No, that woul

ect w

he went on, in a low tone, "is

you mean by th

old her. "It will be something entirely unexpec

have promised to let me

l be at the directors. Your hus

ssured him. "As I think you must have gathered, there i

re had been, I should have felt it my duty to advise you to

ad as

that," he

e anything about

t y

ey have been allowed to operate

cal cleverness. They are inside the law all the time, and they manage to keep there. Their agents ar

, then," she observed. "My hus

omething of the sort, looks like intervening. Then they'll probably let a dozen of their subsidiary companies go smash, and Peter Phipps, Ski

I want to know about you

d to bring you into it,"

e-man show, and it is-w

only point worth considering is, could I help? You k

mised, "and you shall decide afterwards. I warn you, you w

he laughed as she assured

d the opening of a heavy door down below, the hailing of a

husband going?

no

id. "I am going to ask you whether you would show me ove