The Washington herald., 1908-03-14
CHAPTER XVII.

4AdN same SONNdg SNtlthbf a. iiiloiAl6AeB
in a cane chair in the lounge Of the Cen
trail Station Hotel. in Glasgow. Charlie
Rolfe sat IDLY smoking cigar
Sunday in Glasgow is always a dismal
day. The weather had been gray and
depressing. but he had remained in the
hotel. busy with correspondence. He had
arrived there on Saturday upon some
urgent business connected with that huge
engineering concern, the Clyde and Moth
erwell Locomotive Works. in which old
sam Statham held a controlling interest.
but as the manager was away till Mon
day, he had been compelled 10 walt until
his return.
The matter which he was about to de-
eide involved the gain or loss of some
e95000. and a good deal of latitude old
Statharn had allowed in his decision. In
deed it was Rolfe who practically ran
the big business. He reported periodical
II to Statham and the latter was always
satisfied. During the last couple of years.
by his clever finance. Rolfe had made
much larger profits with smaller expendi-
ture, even though his drastic reforms had
very nearly caused a strike among the
1900 hands employed.
He had spent a most miserable day-a
gray day. full Of bitter reflection and of
mourning over the might-have-beens The
morning he had idled away walking
through Buchanan street and the other
main thorOughfaTes. where all the shops
were closed and where the general aspect
was inexpressibly dismal In the after
noon he had taken q cab and gone for a
long drive alone 20 while away the hours,
and now. after dinner, he was concluding
one Of the most melancholy days of all
his life
There were one or two other men in
the lounge. keen-faced men Of commercial
aspect. who were discussing over their
cigars, prices freights, and other such
matters. In the corner was a small party
Of American men and women. stranded
for the day while on their round tour of
ScOtland-the West Highlands. the Tros-
sachs. Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle, the
Highlands, and the rest-anxious for Mon
day 10 come, so as 10 be on the move
again.
Rolfe stretched his legs. and from his
corner surveyed the scene through the
smoke from his cigar. He tried 10 be in
terested in the people about him, but il
was impossible Ever. and anon the
words Of old Sam Statham rang in his
ears II the house Of Statham-Which,
after all. seemed 20 be but a house OF
Cards-was 70 be saved il must be saved
at the sacrifice of Maud PetrOvitch,
Why? That question he had asked him
self a thousand times that day. The only
reply was that the charming half-fOreign
girl held old Stathams secret. But how
could she? AS far as he knew. they had
only met once, years ago, when she was
but a child.
And Statham. the elderly melancholy
Vyrh en- int
whose firm was believed 10 be as safe as
the Bank Of England. actually asked him
to sacrifice her honor What did he
mean? Did he suggest that he was 20
willfully compromise her in the eyes of
the world?
'Ah. If he knew-if ne only knew"
murmured Rolfe to himself. his face
growing pale and hard set. Sam Stat
ham believes himself clever. and so he
is. Yet in this game I think I am his
equal" And he smoked on In silence,
his frowning countenance being an index
To his troubled mind.
He was reviewing the whole Of the
curious situation. In a few years he had
RISEN from a harum-scarum youth to be
lie private secretary. cOnldant, and fre-
Cuent adviser 10 one Of the Wealthiest
men in England. Times without number
old Sam. sitting in his padded writing
chair in Park lane. had commended him
for his business acunen and foresight.
Once by a simple suggestion, daring
though il was. Statham had. I'm q few
hours. made $1,000. and with many
words of praise the dry old fellow took
out his check book and drew a check as
a little present TO his clever young secre-
tary Charlie Rolfe was. however. un-
scrupulous. as good many clever men
Of business are. In the world Of COM
merce the dividing line between unscrupu-
lousness and what the city knows as
smartness is invisible. So Marions brother
was dubbed a smart man at Statham
Brothers. and in those big, old-fashioned.
and rather gloomy Offices he was envied
as being ''the governors favorite."
Charlie intended 70 get on. He saw
other men make money in the city by
the exercise Of shrewdness and common
sense, and he meant TO do the same The
business secrets Of old Sam Statham were
all known TO him, ard he had more than
once been half tempted 10 take into part
nership some fnancier who, armed with
the information he could give could make
many brilliant coup, forestalling even
old Statham himself. Up 10 the present.
however. he had never found anybody he
could implicitly trust or sharks he knew
dozens. clever energetic men. he admit
ted. but there was not one Of these who
would not give away their own mother
when IL came 10 making a thousand
profit. SO he was waiung-Waiting until
he found the man who could go in with
him and make a fortune
Again, he was rejecting upon old Sans
appeal 10 him to save him.
Suppose he knew he murmured again.
Suppose and his eyes were fixed
upon the painted ceiling of the lounge.
a moment later he sighed impatiently,
saying. 'Phew, how sitting il Is heret'
and. rising. took up his hat and went
down the stairs and out into the broad
street to cool his fevered brain. He was
haunted by a recOllection-the tragic rec
ollection of that night when the doctor
and his daughter had so mysteriously
disappeared
4 wonder" he said aloud at last, II
wonder If Max ever dreams the extraor-
binary truth? Yet how can he? What
impressions can he have? He must be
puzzled-terriby puzzled-but he can have
no clew to what has actually happened
and then he was again silent stiil walk
ing mechanically along the dark half
deserted business street. But suppose
the truth was really known-sUppose it
was discovered2 What then? Ah.' he
gasped staring straight before him,
what then?p
For n full hour he wandered the half
deserted streets of central Glasgow. till
fe found himself down by the Clyde
bank. and then retraced his steps TO the
hotel hardly knowing whittier he went.
" full was ne Of the terror which daily.
nav. hourly, obsessed him. Whether Max
Barclay had actually discovered him or
not meant to him his whole future-nay.
his very life