The other was called away then by an engage-



228 THE MONEYCHANGERS

ment in court, which occupied him for several
hours; when he came out, he made for the
nearest ticker, and the first figures he saw were
Mississippi Steel — quoted at nearly twenty
points below the price of the morning !

The bare figures were eloquent to him of
many tragedies; they brought before him half
a dozen different personalities, with their tri-
umphs and despairs. He could read in them the
story of a Titan struggle. Oliver had made
his killing; but what of Price and Ryder?
Montague knew that most of Price's stock was
hypothecated at the Gotham Trust. And now
what would become of it? And what would
become of the Northern Mississippi ?

He bought the afternoon papers. Their col-
umns were full of the sensational events of the
day. The bottom had dropped out of Missis-
sippi Steel, as they phrased it. The wildest
rumours were afloat. The Company was known
to be making enormous extensions, and it was
said to have overreached itself; there were
whispers that its oflScers had been speculating,
that the Company would be unable to meet the
next quarterly payment upon its bonds, that a
receivership would be necessary. There were
hints that the concern was to be taken over by
the Trust, but this was vigorously denied by
officers of the latter.
