The Ordway new era., 1920-08-13
CHAPTER VII.

3
For thirty days Hilliard had listened
to the euiogles Of his secret self. He
had heard from a hundred sources the
same belief repeated, that Dicky Nor
gan. given time and counsel. would
have made the city as proud of him for
his Intrinsic worth as 1t now was
proud OF him for his military valor.
THIS praise OF Dlcky Morgan had at
first stunned Hllllard: after that. II
had exalted him: still later, 1t had
sbased his soul. He had longed.
ceaselessly. during that third period
OF his introspectlOn. to take the city
to his heart. to reveal himself, to an
swer for Dicky Morgan's failures and
to pledge himself anew to the achieve
ment which Dicky Morgan's friends
had prophesied; and then he had been
overwhelmed by the recollection that
he had made this course impossible.
II he had only known that all his de-
ceptions were needless. II he had
only known that Dicky Morgan could
have come home, and been forgiven
What anguish he could have saved
and what repentance And the prob
lem was still the same-should he
continue. safe in his masquerade, to
the goal he had set for himself. or
should he risk the worst. and salve
Ills conscience by renunciation?
BY far the most distressing factor In
this puzzle wns his relationship to Car
OF Durant He had seen her only hnlf
dozen times during the month, and
never alone-the fates or Armstrong
had circumvented fim-but he was
head over heels In love with her again,
and he sensed. from fugitive giances
and STRAY word or two on her part.
that size wasn't entirely averse to him.
But what would Carol think IL she
knew that this grave and tender
stranger was hiding behind the wrath
of Dtcky Morgan-it was a thousand
times the worsel II she were ever
truly In love with Henry Hiiliard. 1t
was impossible!
And then there was little Angela
Cullen
And In addition. there was the serl-
Gus business of making good; he was
no longer impelled to It by resentment,
but rather by unadulterated ambition !;
this. too, he would see destroyed by
any admission of his deceit. To con-
tinue in the game was to lose his prob
ity: to relinquish 1t was to lose all
else; and even now. his Joy and pride
WAS contained in precisely those things
which he must give up, II he decided
to tear OFF the mask Of hypocrisy; and
his self-respect was rising out of the
l.. laos
done at all.
When he thought OF his worldly am
bitIons. he was profoundly regretful
that he. had talked professionally with
Mr.. Cullen, To be sure. the matter
had come up casually and naturally.
and the opening had seemed too good
to he missed: at the same time. Hill
Hard couldn't help rejecting that 1t
had been premature. II might prove.
eventually. TO have been just the prop
-r course to produce results; 1t might
be that Cullen would become so impa-
tient that he couldn't be restrained.
and would leap without looking. and
leap further than he Intended. and yet,
ever since that preliminary Interview.
Hiiliard had known that he had made
breach IN his own fortresses; that
he had rendered II possible for an In
forma! iand logical enough) investi-
CATION to begin. or for mild suspicion
to arise and gain momentum before
he had devised the means OF combating
It. And although Hilliard believed
Implicitly In the goods he had to sell,
ss knew the difficulty OF the market I;
he knew how timorous is the average
investor: and he knew that there
might very easily come a time at which
bis harangue would be remembered.
and remembered adversely.
In this connection he was irritat-
ed by the tone OF Harmon's letters to
him from New York. Harmon was en-
thusiastic. and confident; he was re-
lying sturdliy on HillIard to break
through the acunen of the upstate
capitalists; but he thought shat Hill
Hard was making haste too slowly; he
opined that all HillIard needed TO do
was 80 devote himself to a hard on