Barker, if you want to know," he added, with
rising anger, "the wife of one of those cursed partners. Jack Hamlin was
here, and was jockeying to stop him, and interfered. But what the devil
has that job to do with our job?" He was losing his temper; everything
seemed to turn upon this infernal Van Loo!
"He wasn't running away with Mrs. Barker," gasped Hall,--"it was with
her MONEY! and the fear of being connected with the Wheat Trust swindle
which he organized, and with our money which I lent him for the same
purpose. And he knows all about that job, for I wanted to get him to go
into it with us. Your name and mine ain't any too sweet-smelling for
the bank, and we ought to have a middleman who knows business to arrange
with them. The bank daren't object to him, for they've employed him in
even shadier transactions than this when THEY didn't wish to appear. I
knew he was in difficulties along with Mrs. Barker's speculations, but
I never thought him up to this. And," he added, with sudden desperation,
"YOU trusted him, too."
In an instant Steptoe caught the frightened man by the shoulders and was
bearing him down on the table. "Are you a traitor, a liar, or a besotted
fool?" he said hoarsely. "Speak. WHEN and WHERE did I trust him?"
"You said in your note--I was--to--help him," gasped Hall.
"My note," repeated Steptoe, releasing Hall with astonished eyes.
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