by Leroy Scott
CHAPTER XIII
THE END OF THE DEAL
The next morning when David glanced at the envelopes the postman hadhanded him he saw that one letter was from Mr. Jordon. He was ripping itopen eagerly when he noticed the envelope beneath it bore thehandwriting of Helen Chambers. He dropped Jordon's letter and excitedlyopened the other. Its cordiality set him afire. She was just back intown for the winter, she wrote, and the following afternoon she would beat St. Christopher's. Would he care to come to meet her at about fourfor an hour's walk?
Would he! He had not seen her since the early summer--and how he hadhungered to see her, speak with her, feel her near presence! He walkedacross the office, in which he was alone, half a dozen times before hetook up the letter of Mr. Jordon. Mr. Jordon asked that Mr. Rogers andhis associates be at the office of Mr. Chambers at three o'clock thatafternoon. He hoped that they would be able to reach an agreement onterms and close the matter up.
David, the letter in his hand, was rushing into the living room to readthe news to Rogers, when he saw, through the open hall-door, the ampleform of the Mayor passing out. He captured the Mayor and led him in tothe side of the couch on which Rogers was lying.
"Listen to this, will you!" David cried, and excitedly read the letter."Did you take in that sentence at the last?--'I hope that we will atlength be able to agree on terms.' Now what do you think that means?"
"It means," said the Mayor, explosively, "that they've woke up and seethat you ain't never goin' to come down to them, they've got to come upto you! It means that you've won!"
Rogers's sunken eyes flamed, and he stood up. "It seems so!" hebreathed.
They all seized hands. "This don't mean much to me personally, for I'veonly got a little in it," said the Mayor, "but I certainly have the gladfeeling on your account, Rogers. You can clear right out to a land wherethe air was made for breathin' purposes. Here in New York the air ain'tgood for much except fillin' in lots. Yes sir, Rogers, I'm certainlyglad!"
They talked on excitedly, as men do who are but a step from success.David was glad, too, on Rogers's account, for he saw afresh how thinlydisease had sculptured his cheeks and nose, and how deeply it hadchiselled about the eyeballs, and to what a slender shaft it had carvedthe neck. Also he was ablaze with gladness on his own account. Success,but a few hours off, meant the partial clearing of his name. His mindexulted over the details of the scene to-morrow afternoon when he wouldtell Helen Chambers he had the means to pay his debt to St.Christopher's.
In the course of the morning Mr. Harris dropped in. He asked forRogers, but David said that Rogers was out. For half an hour thedetective talked about the houses in which he was interested, now andthen slipping in a guileless question about Rogers. But David was on hisguard; he matched his wits against Mr. Harris's, and when at length thedetective went away David was certain he was no wiser than when he came.
At half past two the Mayor thrust his head into the office and, seeingKate was there, beckoned David into the hall. The Mayor had never beforebeen at elbows with a real money king, so for him the meeting was a newexperience; and despite his ire toward Mr. Chambers he was prompted tomake his appearance before royalty in fitting court costume.
"D'you think I look all right?" he asked, anxiously.
David surveyed the Mayor's bulky figure. There was a silk hat with not asingle hair in disarray, a long light overcoat, a pair of fresh glovesthat were staringly tan, and the most gorgeous vest in the Mayor'scloset. David could have wished that the whole scheme of dress had beenpitched in a lower key, but he criticised nothing but the vest.
"If that's all you kick about, then I'm O. K.," the Mayor saidcomplacently, smoothing a yellow glove over the silken pinks. "You'vegive me some good points, but when it comes to vests, friend--well, youain't got no real taste for vests."
He walked to the door and looked out. "There comes our carriage," hecalled. "Get Rogers and we'll be movin'."
"Carriage!" cried David.
"Sure. D'you think we're goin' to let Chambers and his bunch think we'rea lot o' cheapskates? Not much. We're goin' to do this thing proper."
"But Mr. Chambers himself uses the street cars."
"Well, he can afford to," the Mayor returned with equanimity. "Wecan't."
When David walked with Rogers to the carriage he would not have beensurprised had the Mayor handed them for their lapels a bunch of rosesknotted with ribbon. They settled back against the cushions and suspensesilenced them--and with hardly a word they rumbled over to Broadway,down into Wall Street and up before Mr. Chambers's office.
As they stepped from the carriage, Rogers's thin fingers gripped David'shand like taut cords. Clasp, face, and the feverish fire in his eyestold David how great was the strain Rogers bore. This was the climax ofhis life.
David returned the pressure of his hand. "It'll be all right," hewhispered reassuringly.
They went up the broad steps into a tiled hallway, and turned to theirright to the entrance of the private banking house of Alexander Chambers& Co. An erect, liveried negro, whose stiffly formal manners suggested aspring within him, admitted them into a great light room, in which,behind a partition of glass and bronze grating that half reached theceiling, sat scores of men working swiftly without appearance of speed.A word and a lifted finger from the black automaton directed them to thefar end of the room. Here a man with the bearing of a statesman, Mr.Chambers's doorkeeper, bowed them into three leather-seated chairs, andcarried their names into Mr. Chambers's private secretary.
They did not speak; the nearness of the climax awed even the Mayor. Andto add to the suspense throbbing within him, David began to wonder howhe would be greeted by Mr. Chambers, whom he had not seen since hisante-prison days.
Almost at once the doorkeeper reappeared, and with the subdued air thatcharacterised the place, led them into a large office. The keen-facedsecretary rose from a desk, ushered them through a door and into anotheroffice. At the great desk in the center of the room were Mr. Chambersand Mr. Jordon.
The two men rose, and David's wonder as to how Mr. Chambers wouldreceive him was at once relieved. An inclination of the head and aquiet, "Glad to see you, Mr. Aldrich"--that was all; nothing in hisimpassive face and manner to suggest that he remembered the prison-gapin David's life.
The Mayor had announced during the carriage drive that if "Chambersholds out his hand to me to be shook, I won't see nothin' but theceilin'." But there was no opportunity thus to humiliate Mr. Chambers,for his response to the introduction was but a brief nod. So the Mayorcould only declare his independence by opening the front of hisovercoat, like a pair of doors, upon his brilliant waistcoat, and bygazing into Mr. Chambers's face with aggressive hauteur.
Mr. Jordon shook hands all around. "Well, I hope we'll settle things upto-day," he said. As to how things were going to be settled, he had notthe slightest doubt. He was certain the afternoon would force Mr.Chambers to his way of thinking. A few minutes before Mr. Chambers hadasked his opinion as to the result of the conference, and he had said,"They'll not give in; we've got to pay what they ask." Mr. Chambers hadsaid nothing--which had not surprised him, for he knew it wasinstinctive with Mr. Chambers, even in such small matters as this, tolet the completed act announce his purpose.
They all sat down, David, Rogers, and the Mayor in threeleather-bottomed chairs which stood in front and to the right of Mr.Chambers's desk. To the left, in a row, were half a dozen other chairs.Mr. Chambers leaned slightly forward and folded his hands on his desk'splate-glass top.
"Let us go straight to the point of this matter," he began, addressingRogers, who sat between David and the Mayor. "Mr. Jordon tells me yourefuse to consider any sum less than one hundred and fifty thousanddollars for the land you control. Is that correct?"
"It is."
David's shoulder against Rogers told him that Rogers's lean frame was asrigid as the chair that held it.
"This then is your ultimatum?"
"It is."
"Just as I told
you," nodded Mr. Jordon, who was at Mr. Chambers'selbow.
Mr. Chambers pressed a button beneath the desk and the door openedbefore his secretary.
"Please show in the others," he requested quietly.
The secretary bowed and the door closed.
"The others?" breathed Rogers; and he and David and the Mayor looked ateach other.
"The others!" exclaimed Mr. Jordon. "What others?"
Mr. Chambers sat silent, with unchanged face. The next instant the door,opening, answered the question. Into the room hesitantly filed the fiveowners of the land Rogers controlled. Rogers, David, and the Mayor, andalso Mr. Jordon, rose in astonishment. The five stopped and stared atRogers's party; plainly the surprise was mutual.
Mr. Chambers, remaining in his seat, motioned the new-comers to thechairs at the left of his desk. "Be seated, gentlemen."
"What's this mean?" David asked, catching Rogers's arm.
Rogers turned toward him, and for an instant David felt he was gazinginto the abyss of fear. Then the arm he held tightened and Rogers lookedtoward his five clients and nodded.
"Good afternoon. I'm glad to see you," he said in an even tone.
They sat down again, and Rogers's eyes fastened on the finely wrinkledface of Mr. Chambers--as did every other pair of eyes in the room. Theyvainly strove to read the purpose behind that inscrutable countenance.The purpose was simple enough. By bringing together the two elements ofRogers's crowd, each ignorant that the other was to be present,unprepared with common replies, he had thought he might possibly playthem against each other in a way to bring them to his price; and if not,he would at least have them all together, and so be able to make animmediate settlement upon their terms. He had had a faint hope that Mr.Hawkins might discover something significant, but a note from thedetective during the morning had contained no single new fact.
Mr. Chambers did not give the surprised group time to readjust itself."I have called together all parties interested in this transaction inorder that we may more effectively reach an agreement, and in the hopethat we may obviate the necessity for future meetings."
He fastened his gray eyes upon the five owners, who were looking verymuch at a loss, and spoke coldly, calmly, as though his decision wereunchangeable and his words immutable facts. "First I desire to say thatyou gentlemen and your agent have a very inflated idea of the value ofyour property. The price is one we cannot, and will not, pay. If youwant to take what we offer, very well. If not, I assure you that weshall run no streets, water-mains, sewers or gas pipes near your tract.We shall leave the neighbourhood of your property entirely unimproved.You will recall that our land lies between yours and the car line; weshall forbid anybody living on your land crossing our land. Nobody elseis going to buy your land under these conditions. You can sell it onlyto us."
The owners, struck while off guard, were dazed; and David, Rogers, andthe Mayor, who had expected the exact opposite of this talk, werecompletely taken back.
The cold, dominant voice went on. "Such being the situation, does it notseem better to accept our price, which is a fair price, than to haveyour land made unsaleable, to have your investment tied up for years tocome?"
He centered his personality upon the weakest of the five. "I'm sure youthink so, do you not?"
The man blinked--then nodded his head.
"But--" began Rogers.
"And you, I'm sure you think so," Mr. Chambers demanded of anotherowner.
"Ye-e-s," said the man.
This was child's play to Mr. Chambers, who had browbeaten andoverpowered even the directors of great corporations. He tried to rushhis plan through, before the men could recover.
"It is plain you are all agreed. You see how your clients stand, Mr.Rogers. It certainly seems the only course to settle this matter at onceupon the basis of our offer, which seems to them fair and just."
Rogers saw that awe of the great financier and his intimidatingstatments had fairly stampeded his clients. Fighting down the momentarysense of defeat, and not heeding Mr. Chambers's words to him, he fixedhis great burning eyes on the five men.
"Gentlemen!" he said desperately. They shifted their gaze from Mr.Chambers to him. "Gentlemen, I want to assure you that if we hold out wewill get our own price. I happen to know they've just bought a piece ofground beyond ours; without ours it will be worthless to them. They'vegot to have our land! You understand? Simply got to have it!"
The Mayor lifted an emphatic yellow hand toward the owners. "Of coursethey have! And don't you listen to no bluffin'."
Rogers continued to talk for several minutes; and gradually confidenceand determination came into the manner of the five. At the end Rogersturned to Mr. Chambers.
"We shall stand out for our price," he said firmly.
Mr. Chambers had wrecked railroads in order to buy them in at a lowerrate, but the similar procedure which he had threatened did not seemworth while here. He had tried his plan, which he had known had only achance of success, and it had failed. There was but only one thing todo--to yield.
He was thoughtful for several moments. "If we should refuse your terms,we of course in the end would buy your land at our own price. But itoccurs to me that the bother and extra cost of improving the land andopening it up at a later date, might be as much as the differencebetween your price and ours. What do you think, Mr. Jordon?"
"There's much in what you say," returned the general manager, guardedly.
Rogers, David, and the Mayor exchanged quick, triumphant glances. Theyhad won.
Mr. Chambers again relapsed into his appearance of thoughtfulness, andthey all sat waiting for him to speak. David laid his hand on Rogers'sand pressed it exultantly.
While Mr. Chambers still sat thus, the office door opened and hissecretary apologetically tiptoed across the room with a letter in hishand.
"I told Mr. Hawkins you were engaged, but he insisted that this wasimportant," the secretary said to Mr. Chambers, and withdrew.
Mr. Chambers read the note, thought a moment, slowly folded the sheet,then raised his eyes.
"Before going further, there is one point--of no importance, I dare sayit will prove to be--that it might be well for us to touch upon." Hecentered his calm gaze upon the five owners. "Since you have intrustedMr. Rogers with the management of your property I take it that he hasyour fullest confidence?"
"Ye-es," said one hesitatingly, and the others followed with the sameword.
"Your confidence, of course, is founded on thorough acquaintance?"
David glanced from the impassive Mr. Chambers to Rogers. The mask ofcontrol had fallen from his face. He was leaning forward, his wholebeing at pause, his face a climax of fear and suspense.
A succession of slow "Yes-es" came from the owners.
"Then of course," Mr. Chambers went on in his composed voice, "you areperfectly aware that Mr. Rogers is a man with a long criminal career."
A shiver ran through Rogers; he stiffened, grew yet whiter. There was amoment of blankest silence. Then the Mayor sprang up, his facepurpling.
"It's an infernal lie!" he shouted.
Consternation struggled on the faces of the five; they looked from therigid, white figure of Rogers to the calm face of Mr. Chambers.
"It isn't so," declared one tremulously.
"We will leave the question to Mr. Rogers," said Mr. Chambers'sunexcitable voice, and he pivoted in his chair so that his steady eyespointed upon Rogers. "If Mr. Rogers is not 'Red Thorpe,' the one timenotorious safe-blower, with scores of burglaries and three terms in thepenitentiary against him, let him say so. However, before he denies it,I shall tell him that I have all the police data necessary for hisidentification. Now, Mr. Rogers."
Their gaze on Rogers's face, all waited for him to speak--Jordon,astounded, the five pale with the fear of loss, the Mayor glowering,David with a sense that supreme ruin was crushing upon them.
At length Rogers's lips moved. "It is true," he whispered.
"What if it is?" roared the Mayor at Mr.
Chambers. "There's nothin' aginhim now!"
"I'm making no charges against him," returned Mr. Chambers. "This ismerely some information it seemed his clients might be interested inhaving."
All eyes again turned upon Rogers. He came slowly to his feet, walked toMr. Chambers's desk, leaned his hands upon it and directed his largeburning eyes down into Mr. Chambers's face.
"I have done many bad things, yes," he said in a voice, low, flame-hot,"but nothing as bad as you have just done. You have stolen more thisminute than I have stolen in my lifetime."
He held his eyes, blazing with accusation, upon Mr. Chambers'simperturbable face for several moments, then looked about on the fiveowners. There was a chance, a bare chance, they might not turn againsthim.
"Yes, I am Red Thorpe," he said in a vibrant voice that became more andmore appealing with every word. "I knew it would be found out--some day.There are some things I always told myself I'd say to the world whenthis day came. But to you I want to say only this: For ten years I'vebeen honesty itself. I've been honest with you--you know it. If youstand by me, I'll do everything I've promised."
He stood rigid, awaiting their verdict. There was a strained silence.The five looked dazedly at Rogers, at one another, completely at a loss.
"If the gentlemen desire to entrust their affairs to a most dangerouscriminal, one who might defraud them of everything, that is theirprivilege," put in Mr. Chambers quietly.
Their bewilderment was gone; Mr. Chambers's words had roused theirproperty instinct. A murmuring rose among them.
David and the Mayor sprang up, but Rogers raised a hand and theyremained beside their chairs. A flame began to burn in his white cheeks,in his deep eyes.
"I knew this day was coming," he said in a low voice, that had a wildbitter ring of challenge. "Instead of you, you weaklings"--he looked atthe five--"and you, you mere soulless Acquisition"--his eyes blazed atMr. Chambers--"I wish I had the world before me. I'd like to tell itwhat a vast fool it is in its treatment of such as me--how eyeless andbrainless and soulless! Oh, what a fool!... But the world's not here."
He was silent for a moment. "And why am I at an end?--why?" His answerrang through the room with a passionate resentment, with an agony ofloss. "Because the world did not care to step in and point the right wayto me. To have saved me would have been so easy! I was worth saving! Ihad brains--there was a man in me. Whose fault is it that I am now atthe end?--a miserable remnant of a man! The world's. I was robbed of mychance in life--robbed, yes sir, robbed!--and I could have made it asplendid life! Ah, how I've wanted to make it a splendid life. And theworld--the world that robbed me!--that world calls me criminal. And Imust pay the penalty, and the penalty is--what you see! Oh, my God!"
For ten years Rogers had cherished the purpose of accusing the world onthe day of his exposure--but now his loss was so overwhelming, speech tothese people was so utterly useless, strength was so little, that hecould say no more--could only, leaning against the desk, gaze in hatredand despair at Mr. Chambers and the owners. The faces of the five werepale and blank. There was a trace of sympathy in Mr. Jordon's face, anda momentary change in Mr. Chambers's that indicated--who knows what?
David sprang to Mr. Chambers's desk, his soul on fire.
"This, sir, is a damned inhuman outrage!" he flung down into the olderman's face.
"It might also have been of interest to Mr. Rogers's clients," Mr.Chambers returned calmly, "to have known the record of Mr. Rogers'sassociate."
David's wrath had no time to fashion a retort, for the Mayor, at hisside, hammered the desk with a great yellow-gloved fist. "That's what itis!" he shouted. "It's a low, dirty, murdering trick!"
"I merely acquainted his clients with his record--which they have aright to know."
A huge sarcastic laugh burst from the Mayor, and he pushed his face downinto Mr. Chambers's.
"_You_," he roared, "you, when you're in a deal, you always show yourclients _your record_, don't you!"
Rogers, out of whose cheeks the fire had gone, leaving them an ashengray, tugged at their sleeves.
"It's no use!--let's go!" he begged, chokingly. "Quick!"
David's eyes blazed down upon Mr. Chambers. "Yes, let's leave theinfernal thief!"
He took one of Rogers's arms, the Mayor, shaking a huge fist in Mr.Chambers's face, took the other, and they made for the door.Mr. Chambers, still seated, watched Rogers's thin figure, head pitchedforward and sunken between his shoulders, pass out of the office.Brushing people out of his way had become the order of his life, and hedid it impersonally, without malice, as a machine might have done it.And Rogers was one of the most insignificant he had ever brushed aside.
"Mr. Rogers, as of course you are aware, has not the rights of acitizen," Mr. Chambers said to the five. "Consequently his agreementwith you is invalid; he can not hold you to it. If you will kindly waitin the next room a moment, Mr. Jordon will speak with you."
After they had filed out he remarked to Jordon: "They are stampeded.They will come to your terms. I leave them in your hands."
He touched the button on his desk and his secretary appeared. "IfSenator Speed has come," he said, "ask him to step in."
* * * * *
When David and Rogers were home again, and the Mayor and his profanityhad gone, there was a long silence during which both sat motionless.David searched his mind for some word of hope for Rogers, who was acollapsed bundle in a Morris chair, gazing through the window into thedusky air-shaft.
At length he bent before Rogers and took his hand. "We'll go to some newplace together, and start all over again," he said.
Rogers turned his face--the only part of him that the deepening twilighthad not blotted out. It seemed a bodyless face--the mask ofhopelessness.
"It's no use--I'm all in," he whispered. "Even if I had the courage tomake another fight, there's no strength."
He was silent for several moments. Then a low moan broke from him. "Tenyears!" he whispered. "And this is the end!"
BOOK IV
THE SOUL OF WOMAN