"That's right," said Collier's private secretary. "We don't want to be interrupted by anybody. I took a great deal of pains that no one who knew me should see me come here. Garrity mustn't get wise. He ordered me to keep away from you." Laughing, he flung himself down on a chair.

"Garrity!" cried Lefty, astonished at the confession. "Then you admit that you are taking your orders from him?"

"He thinks I am," was the grinning answer. "Perhaps he'll find himself fooled. If you and I can get together, I'm sure he will."

Locke stifled a sense of repulsion. The man was more detestable than ever. It did not appear possible, and yet he still seemed to think that Locke would accept a proposal from him.

"How do you mean?" asked the pitcher, with masterly self-control. "Get together how?"

"I hope you realize you can't do anything alone. The combination against you is too strong, and too much had been done before you began to get wise to the situation. Let me tell you now that I didn't expect this affair would go as far as it has when I entered into it."

The creature was shamelessly acknowledging his partic.i.p.ation in the plot, chuckling as he did so. Lefty waited.

"Of course," pursued Weegman, "you've been aware for some time of my unbounded admiration and regard for Miss Collier. The old man favored me, but I couldn't bring her round. To do so, I decided, it would be necessary for me to accomplish a coup. If I could apparently save her father from ruin she might alter her views. Out of grat.i.tude she might marry me. I'm a man who gets what he wants, by hook or crook. Garrity approached me with a scheme. I listened to it. I believed I saw a way to turn that scheme to my own advantage with Virginia. But I'll tell you now that it never was my intention to put Charles Collier wholly on the blink. At that time even I didn't know how badly involved he was."

Even while he told the truth in a way, Weegman was lying in the effort to palliate his act to some degree. His conscience was warped to such an extent that he seemed to believe there could be an excuse for the milder forms of conspiracy and crime. In a bungling way he was actually making a bid for Locke's sympathy.

"You must have known of the dastardly arrangement with a crooked doctor to keep Mr. Collier drugged into apparent illness and detain him in Europe beyond reach of the friends who might tell him, Weegman. Who got to that doctor and bought him up?"

"Not I," was the denial. "I didn't have the money."

"Was it Garrity?"

"Of course. Garrity had something on Dalmers, who was concerned in some mighty shady practices at one time. But he told me that Dalmers was simply going to keep watch of the old man. I didn't know anything about the drugging business. When I found that out I was mad as blazes."

The southpaw fought to prevent his lips from curling with scorn, and to suppress a look of triumph in his eyes. "What's your proposition to me, Weegman?"

The self-acknowledged rascal seemed to hesitate. "You're sure no one can hear us?" he asked, his eyes roving around the room.

"You can see that we're quite alone."

Weegman drummed nervously on the arm of his chair. "I'm sorry this thing has gone so far," he protested. "I didn't look for it to, at first. I got involved and couldn't back out. In fact, Garrity threatened me when I showed signs of holding back. That," he declared, with an attempt at indignant resentment, "made me sore. Without my help in the beginning he never could have done a thing. Now he thinks he's got me foul, he's going to gobble everything. We'll see about that! Perhaps it isn't too late to stop him. Maybe we can do it, you and I. I'd like to show him."

So the rascals had quarreled over the division of the spoils, as rascals so often do. And now one of them was ready to betray the other, if he could do so without disaster to himself. At the same time, he hoped to make an alliance with Lefty by which he might reap some actual benefit from his underhanded work. Suddenly Locke thought of another man who had been suspected of complicity.

"How about Parlmee?" he asked. "Where does he fit in? Did Garrity send him over the pond to wrench the control of the Blue Stockings from Collier?"

"I don't know what Garrity has been doing with Parlmee," Weegman confessed. "It was natural that I should want to turn Virginia against Parlmee, but I swear I didn't know he was in this thing when I got the idea of making her believe he was. That was an inspiration that came to me all of a sudden. I had to keep her away from him. I faked up some evidence. She refused to believe at first. Then, by Jove, I found out that Garrity and Parlmee were really up to something. They've had dealings."

Lefty's heart, which had bounded high for a moment, sank heavily. After all, could it be true that two cleverer scoundrels had combined to work Weegman as a dupe? Had the confirmation of this fact helped Weegman to make up his mind to go back on Garrity? Was it not possible that this was the real cause of the quarrel between the worthy pair?

The southpaw continued to lead the other on. "What is Garrity's scheme?

What has he told you that he proposed to do?"

"Unless Collier receives outside a.s.sistance, Garrity's got him cornered. Collier has met reverses generally. Garrity has got hold of a certain amount of Blue Stocking stock. Collier still holds enough to keep the balance of power, but he won't hold it long. If he tries to his interest in the Northern Can Company will go to glory. Garrity has placed himself in a position to shake the old man out of that concern.

If Collier loses that, he's broke--a pauper. He can't hang on, because he hasn't the ready resources. He'll have to sell his Blue Stockings stock to save Northern Can. If he had a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in ready cash he could pull through. It'll take half of that to oust Garrity from Northern Can, and the other half is needed for the team. Garrity will put it up to him to-morrow. In the meantime, can you and I raise one hundred and fifty thousand?"

"You and I!" cried Lefty. "Not a dollar! Not a cent! How will Garrity put it up to Collier to-morrow? Collier is in--"

"Philadelphia!" cut in Weegman sharply.

The southpaw stared, thunderstruck. "Philadelphia! You mean that he's in this country?"

"He arrived to-day, and took a train at once for Philadelphia. I cabled him to come, and to keep his coming secret. Those were Garrity's orders."

Locke sat down heavily, still staring at Weegman.

CHAPTER x.x.xV

THE SHATTERING STROKE

That explained it. Now Lefty knew why he had received no answer to his cablegrams. Before the first was sent, Charles Collier was on the high seas, bound for America. He was home, and Garrity held him in the hollow of his hand. On the morrow the owner of the Blue Stockings was to feel the crushing grip of the triumphant schemer.

Weegman watched the southpaw's face, noting the look of consternation upon it. Suddenly snapping his fingers, he began speaking again: "That's why I came to you, Locke. What's done must be done quickly.

After eleven o'clock to-morrow it will be too late. You know what that means for you. Garrity hates you like poison, and you won't last any time after he gets control. You can raise that money."

"A hundred and fifty thousand dollars! You're crazy!"

"You can do it, and save yourself. If you'll do the right thing by me, I'll tell you how to raise the needful. Together we'll hand Garrity his b.u.mps. What do you say? Is it a go?" He sprang up and approached, his hand extended.

Locke rose and faced him. The scorn and contempt upon his face would have withered a man less calloused. Weegman recoiled a little, and his hand dropped to his side.

"Weegman," Lefty said, "you're the most treacherous scoundrel I ever had the bad fortune to meet. You're just about as trustworthy as a rattlesnake. Heaven knows I need money, and I certainly want to hold my job, but not even to save my own father and mother from being turned out of the home that has sheltered them so long would I enter into any sort of partnership with you."

A look of astonished wrath contorted Weegman's features, and a snarling laugh broke from his lips. "You poor fool!" he cried. "You've thrown away your last chance! I did think you would know enough to save yourself, but I see you haven't an atom of sense in your head."

There was something almost pitying in the smile Lefty gave him.

Something, also, that caused the man a sudden throb of apprehension.

"You're the fool, Weegman," returned the southpaw. "You have confessed the whole rotten scheme. You have betrayed yourself and your fellow conspirator, Garrity."

"Bah!" the rascal flung back, snapping his fingers again. "What good will it do you? I'll deny everything. You can't prove a thing. I was careful that there should be no witnesses, no one to hear a word that pa.s.sed between us."

Locke grabbed him by the wrist, and snapped him round with a jerk, facing one wall of the room. "And I," he cried, "took care that every word we uttered should be heard by two reliable persons. I set the trap for Garrity, but I have been unable to decoy him into it. You walked into it unbidden. Look!"

With two strides he reached a dresser that stood against the wall. He seized it and moved it aside. With one finger he pointed to a small, square, black object that clung to the wall two feet from the floor.

"Look!" he commanded again.

Weegman stared uncomprehendingly, yet with the perspiration of dread beginning to bead his forehead.

"What is it?" he asked huskily.

"A dictograph!" answered Lefty. "I had it put in two days ago.