"By gad! I"ll find out what it means!" snapped the Senator, p.r.i.c.ked in his pride and in his sense of responsibility as a go-between. He pushed a b.u.t.ton in the row on his study table. "This new job as mayor seems to be playing some sort of a devil"s trick with Stewart. I"ll admit, Daunt, that I didn"t relish some of the priggish preachment on politics mouthed by him in his office when we were there. But I didn"t pay much attention--any more than I did to his exaggerated flourish in the way he attended to city business. The new brooms! You know!"
"Yes, I know!" The banker was sardonic. "I could overlook his display of importance when he neglected gentlemen in order to parade his tuppenny mayor"s business. I paid no attention to his vaporings on the water question. I"ve heard plenty of franchise-owners talk that way for effect!
He"s an especially avaricious Scot, isn"t he? Confound him! How much more shall I offer him?"
"I"ll admit that Stewart seems to be different these days in some respects, but unless he has made a clean change of all his nature in this shift of some of his ideas, you"d better not offer him any more!" warned the Senator. "I never detected any "For Sale" sign on him!"
The Senator"s secretary stepped into the study.
"Find Mayor Morrison in the ballroom and tell him I want to see him here."
"Corson, you"re a United States Senator," proceeded the banker when the man had departed, "and your position enables you to take a broad view of business in general. But naturally you"re for your own state first of all."
"Certainly! Loyally so!"
"I think you thoroughly understand my play for consolidated development of the water-power here. Every single unit should be put at work for the good of the country. Isn"t that so?"
"Yes, decidedly."
"To set up such arbitrary boundaries as state lines in these matters of development is a narrow and selfish policy," insisted Daunt. "It would be like the coal states refusing to sell their surplus to the country at large. If this Morrison proposes to play the bigoted demagogue in the matter, exciting the people to attempt impractical control that will paralyze the whole proposition, he must be stepped on. You can show due regard for the honor and the prosperity of your own state, but as a statesman, working for the general welfare of the country at large, you"ve got to take a broader view than his."
"I do. I can make Stewart understand."
Daunt paced up and down the room, easing his turgid neck against a damp collar. The Senator pondered.
The secretary, after a time, tapped and entered.
"Mayor Morrison is not in the ballroom, sir. And I could not find him."
"You should have inquired of Miss Corson."
"I could not find Miss Corson."
The Senator started for the door. He turned and went back to Daunt. "It"s all right! I gave her a bit of a commission. It"s in regard to Morrison.
She seems to be attending to it faithfully. Be easy! I"ll bring him."
The father went straight to the library. He knew the resources of his own mansion in the matter of nooks for a tete-a-tete interview; now he was particularly a.s.sisted by remembrance of Stewart"s habits in the old days.
He found his daughter and the mayor of Marion cozily ensconced among the cushions of a deep window-seat.
Stewart was listening intently to the girl, his chin on his knuckles, his elbow propped on his knee. His forehead was puckered; he was gazing at her with intent seriousness.
"Senator Corson," warned the girl, "we are in executive session."
"I see! I understand! But I need Stewart urgently for a few moments."
"I surrendered him willingly a little while ago. But this conference must not be interrupted, sir!"
"Certainly not, Senator Corson!" a.s.serted Stewart, with a decisive snap in his tone. "We have a great deal of ground to go over."
"I"ll allow you plenty of time--but a little later. There is a small matter to be set straight. "Twill take but a few moments."
"It"s undoubtedly either business or politics, sir," declared Lana, with a fine a.s.sumption of parliamentary dignity. "But I have the floor for concerns of my own, and I"ll not cede any of my time."
"It is hardly business or politics," returned the Senator, gravely. "It concerns a matter of courtesy between guests in my home, and I"m anxious to have the thing straightened out at once. I beg of you, Stewart!"
The mayor rose promptly.
"I suppose I must consider it a question of privilege and yield,"
consented Lana, still carrying on her little play of procedure. "But do I have your solemn promise, Senator Corson, that this gentleman will be returned to me by you at the earliest possible moment?"
"I promise."
"And I want your promise that you will hurry back," said the girl, addressing Stewart. "I"ll wait right here!"
"But, Lana, remember your duties to our guests," protested her father.
"I have been fulfilling them ever since the reception-line was formed."
She waved her hand to draw their attention to the distant music. "The guests are having a gorgeous time all by themselves. I"ll be waiting here," she warned. "Remember, please, both of you that I am waiting. That ought to hurry your settlement of that other matter you speak of."
"I"ll waste no time!" Morrison a.s.sured her. He marched away with the Senator.
In the study Corson took his stand between his two guests. Daunt was bristling; Morrison displayed no emotion of any sort.
"Mr. Daunt, I think you"d better state your grievance, as you feel it, so that Mr. Morrison can a.s.sure both of us that it arises from a misunderstanding."
The banker took advantage of that opportunity with great alacrity. "Now that Senator Corson is present--now that we have a broad-minded referee, Mr. Morrison, I propose to go over that matter of business."
"Exactly on the same lines?" inquired Stewart, mildly.
"Exactly! And for obvious reasons--so that Corson may understand just how much your att.i.tude hurt my feelings."
"Pardon me, Mr. Daunt. I have no time to listen to the repet.i.tion. It will gain you nothing from me. My mind remains the same. And Miss Corson is waiting for me. I have promised to return to her as soon as possible."
"But it will take only a little while to go over the matter," pleaded Corson.
"It will be time wasted on a repet.i.tion, sir. I have no right to keep Miss Corson waiting, on such an excuse."
"You give me an almighty poor excuse for unmannerly treatment of my business, Morrison," Daunt stated, with increasing ire.
"I really must agree in that," chided the Senator.
"Sir, you gave your daughter the same promise for yourself," declared Stewart.
"Now let"s not be silly, Stewart. Lana was playing! You can go right on with her from where you left off."
"Perhaps!" admitted the mayor. "I hope so, at any rate. But I don"t propose to break my promise." He added in his own mind that he did not intend to allow a certain topic between him and Lana Corson to get cold while he was being bullyragged by two elderly gentlemen in that study.
"By the G.o.ds! you"ll have to talk turkey to me on one point!" a.s.serted Daunt, his veneer of dignity cracking wide and showing the coa.r.s.er grain of his nature. "I made you a square business proposition and you insulted me--under the roof of a gentleman who had vouched for both of us."