noiselessly withdrew and closed the door when he was gone i was conscious of a feeling of intense relief and also of intense a feeling i had never had for but one man before � a feeling which x never got rid of one evening a little later i missed he usually came home even when he strayed off which was not often unless as happened he went with for whom he had conceived a great fondness and who loved and him in return it had come to be a great bond between the girl and me and i think the whole family liked me the better for the dog s love of the daughter but this be did not appear i knew he was not with for i remembered he had been in my office during the afternoon and in consequence i spent an unhappy night all sorts of visions floated before my mind from the prize ring to the table i rather inclined to the former for i knew his powerful chest and and his shoulders would commend him to the fancy i thought i remembered that he had gone out of my just before i left and had gone down the steps which led to the alley i have by re enter mentioned this he sometimes did i recalled that i was thinking of miss and had not seen or thought of him between the office and my home i was so disturbed about him by that i went out to hunt for him and returned to my office by the same street i had walked through in the afternoon when i reached the building in which my office was i turned into the alley i have mentioned and went up the back it was now after midnight and it was as black as pitch when i reached my office thinking that i might by a bare possibility have locked him in i opened the door and walked in closing it behind me the window looked out on the well left for light and air and was open and as i opened the door a light was reflected through the window on my wall i stepped up to close the window and accidentally looking across the narrow well to see where the light came from discovered that it was in the back office of in which were seated mr and the sour looking man i had seen on the train with the silk hat and the diamond and of all persons in the world the name caught my ear and i involuntarily stopped without being aware that i was listening as i looked the door opened and a man i recognized as the of the building entered and with him a negro waiter bearing two of champagne and three glasses for a moment i felt as though i had been dreaming for the negro was i saw the recognition between him and by john marvel assistant and s white teeth shone as talked about him i heard him say no i don know t all about him got to look out for myself yes got a good place an i m to keep he had opened the bottles and poured out the wine and gave him a note big enough to make him bow very low and thank him when he had withdrawn said you ve got to look out for that rascal he s an awfully smart scoundrel oh i ll own body and soul said i wouldn t have him around me don t � he won t fool me if he does � he opened and closed his fist with the gesture i had seen him use the first day he paid me a visit well let s to business he said when they had drained their glasses he looked at the other men what do you say you pay me the money and til bring the strike all right said the labor leader and i ll deliver the too in ten days there be a wheel turning on his road i ll order every man out that wears a west line cap or handle a west line tool the west line this was what the street car line was called which ran out into the poor section of the city where i lived which mr controlled that s all right til keep my part d n i want to break him i ll show him who runs this town with his d d airs by re enter that s it said leaning forward it s your road or his that s the way i figure it he rubbed his hands with satisfaction i am with you my friends you can count on the interest you you ll keep the police off said the labor leader will i watch em i poured out another glass and offered the bottle to who declined it then it s all right well you d better make a cash payment down at the start said the labor leader swore do you think i have a bank in my or am a dealer that i can put up a pile like that at midnight besides i ve always heard there re two bad � the one that don t pay at all and the one t pays in advance you deliver the goods oh i come oflf said the other if you am t a dealer you own a bank � and you ve a s got it downstairs if you ain t so put up or you ll want money sure enough i know what that strike s worth to you rose and at that moment i became aware of the of what i was doing for i had been absolutely absorbed watching and i moved back as i did so knocking over a chair at the sound the light was instantly extinguished and i left my office 