Jacob's Ladder

by E. Phillips Oppenheim

  CHAPTER XXVI

  Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf wasshown into Jacob's sitting-room. He held his watch in his hand.Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purringgently.

  "No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced. "All the symptoms, however,continue to be decidedly favourable."

  "Capital!" Jacob exclaimed. "When shall you be here again?"

  "I am coming in this afternoon, simply in case that slight alterationin my patient's condition should have occurred, which will enable youto visit him. I rather gather, from certain indications, that thechange is close at hand."

  "Very considerate of you, I am sure, Doctor," Jacob observedgratefully.

  "In the meantime, Mr. Pratt," the physician enquired, replacing hiswatch in his waistcoat pocket, "can I be of any service to you? Yourbrother is a personal friend of mine as well as a patient, and Ishould like to show you any attention agreeable to you. Would youcare, for instance, to see over one of our big hospitals?"

  "I'm not keen about it," Jacob admitted frankly. Doctor Bardolfsmiled.

  "Like your brother, Mr. Jacob," he remarked, "you're candid, I see.I'm afraid I sometimes let my professional predilections run away withme. I'll send you cards, if you will allow me, for two clubs I thinkyou would like to see something of, and if you'll do me the honour ofdining with me one night, as soon as your brother's condition hasshown the change we are waiting for, I shall be honoured."

  "Very kind of you--delighted," Jacob murmured.

  Whereupon the physician took his leave and was succeeded within a veryfew moments by Morse. The latter bowed to Jacob and rather ignoredFelixstowe's frivolous salutation.

  "Mr. Pratt," he begged, "can I have a few words with you on business?"

  "Certainly," Jacob assented. "That's what I'm here for. Sit down, do."

  The secretary accepted an easy-chair but waved away the profferedcigar.

  "I guess you fully understand, sir," he began, "how important it is tokeep your brother's condition absolutely secret. The moment the changethat the doctor is looking for takes place, we shall give it out thathe has returned from the Adirondacks with a slight fever and iscompelled to rest for a day or two. Until then, we've got to bluff forall we are worth."

  "I am rather taking your word for this," Jacob said. "In my country,the stock market is not quite so sensitive as regards personalities."

  "Mighty good thing, too," Morse remarked approvingly. "Down in WallStreet, some one only has to start a rumour that the chairman of oneof the great railway companies is sick, and the stock of that companyslides a notch or two before you know where you are. However, toreturn to my point," he continued, leaning forward in his chair andbecoming more earnest in his manner, "your brother, Mr. Pratt, is avery prominent figure in Wall Street. As his partner, you can form apretty fair idea as to what his monthly profits are. At first he wasabsolutely driven by circumstances to be a large operator upon thestock markets. Nowadays, this has become one of his favouritehobbies."

  "Does he gain or lose by it?" Jacob enquired.

  "He makes money," Morse replied. "But then he never gambles--what weshould call gambling in this country. He only deals in the soundthings, and if the market sags he simply holds on. That brings me,sir, to the principal reason why I was glad to see you over on thisside. Three days before he was taken ill, your brother cleaned up alittle deal by which he made the best part of half a million dollarsand opened a very large account in railroads. The last word he saidto me on business was that he guessed he'd have to find the best partof a million dollars before he began to draw in the profits, for,owing to conditions with which you don't need to worry, all railwaystocks have fallen during the last two weeks."

  "I noticed that in the papers," Jacob admitted.

  "Last week," Morse continued, "I went around to see the brokers,Worstead and Jones of Wall Street, and they agreed to carry overwithout hesitation. This week the differences come to six hundred andtwenty-eight thousand dollars, and by an inviolable law of Exchangethe money has to be found. The stocks, as you will see from the listwhich I have here, are the best in the States. Your brother himselfknew that the recovery would not be till the beginning of next month.This illness of his was so unexpected, however, that he had no time tomake any provision for paying these differences. We have a matter ofseven million dollars on deposit at various banks in the city, but Ican't touch those amounts and no more could you, as they are part ofMr. Samuel's private fortune. What I want you to do, sir, if you don'tmind being so kind, is to take up these differences this week, and ifa further drop should take place before next settlement, you and I andMr. Samuel's legal adviser can apply to the Courts for a power ofattorney."

  "I came over to help in every possible way," Jacob reflected, "and Ihave credit for about that amount at the First National Bank. You wanta cheque, then, for--"

  "Dear me, no, Mr. Pratt!" the other interrupted. "I don't figure inthis. To-morrow, by the first mail, we shall get the stockbroker'snote showing the exact difference. If you will draw your cheque then,payable to the stockbrokers, they will give you a receipt. The momentMr. Samuel can hold a pen, we can transfer the amount back again toyour credit. The only point is that your cheque must be on an Americanbank, so that the actual cash can be handled."

  "As it happens, that can be arranged," Jacob promised. "You can relyupon me, Mr. Morse."

  "That's very kind of you indeed, Mr. Pratt," Morse declared heartily."I have a heavy mail to attend to this morning, so if you'll excuse meI'll be getting on with it now," he added, rising to his feet. "I haveordered the car for you and Lord Felixstowe. You will find thechauffeur an exceedingly intelligent man, and he will take you aroundNew York and show you some of the things you ought to see. I shouldsuggest luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton or the Plaza."

  "That sounds all right," Jacob assented. "I beg that you won't worryabout us. We can look after ourselves quite well."

  "And you'll be back by four o'clock to see Doctor Bardolf," Morseenjoined. "You won't forget that he is an exceedingly punctual man."

  "We'll be back on time without fail," Jacob promised.

  Jacob and his companion spent the morning very much in the mannersuggested. The latter was much quieter than usual, so much so that inthe lounge after luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton, Jacob commented uponhis silence.

  "Lose your heart last night, Felix?" he enquired.

  "I'm a slow-mover with the fillies, worse luck!" the young mananswered, shaking his head. "I wasn't as blind as I seemed, either. Iam going to try and get our demure friend with the blinkers out on therazzle-dazzle again to-night."

  "Not sure that I approve," Jacob said. "I don't think Morse cares muchabout that sort of thing, either."

  "I'm not entirely convinced, you know," Felixstowe observed, "thatwe've quite got the hang of that fellow."

  "In what way?" Jacob enquired.

  "Well," his young companion continued, stretching himself out in thechair and lighting a fresh cigarette, "between you and me, Mr. Morsewas pretty well-known at the low haunts we dropped in at last night.You can tell when a Johnny's at home and when he isn't, you know, andI saw him looking at me once or twice when they called him by hisChristian name, for instance, as though he hoped I wasn't catchingon."

  "That seems quite reasonable," Jacob observed. "Sam's a prettybroadminded chap, but I dare say he wouldn't like the idea of hissecretary being a frequenter of all sorts of night haunts."

  "One for yours truly, eh?"

  "Not at all. You are more a companion than a secretary, so far, andbesides, you haven't control over my finances. What have you beenstudying that directory for?"

  Lord Felixstowe laid down the massive volume which he had justborrowed from the office clerk.

  "Been looking 'em all up," he confided. "Doctor Brand Bardolf,Physician, Number 1001 West Fifty-seventh Street--he's there, withletters enough after his name to make a mess of the whole alphabet.Sydney Morse--he's there, same address as
Samuel Pratt. And thestockbrokers, Worstead and Jones, Number 202 Wall Street."

  "What made you look them all up?" Jacob asked curiously.

  "I'm damned if I know," was the candid reply. "All the same, I'm hereto look after you a bit, you know, old dear, and when you're partingwith the dibs to the tune of a hundred thousand quid, you need someone around with his weather eye open."

  Jacob smiled tolerantly.

  "That's all right, Felix," he agreed, "but remember I'm parting withit under my brother's roof, to his own stockbrokers, on the advice ofhis own private secretary and physician. Morse wouldn't even have thecheque made payable to him."

  "Looks as right as a trivet," the young man assented, "but I'm one ofthose chaps with instincts, you know, and I'm damned if I like Morse.I shall try and get him canned to-night."

  "I beg that you won't do any such thing," Jacob objected hastily. "Itis probably most necessary for my brother's interests that he shouldremain in good health. Besides, you'll get into trouble yourself ifyou don't mind."

  A smile almost of pity parted the young man's lips.

  "Don't you worry," he murmured. "It'd take half a dozen Morses, andthen some, to sew me up."