“These gentlemen,” he was saying, “have honored the Consolidated Companies by becoming stockholders, so I thought it might be illuminating for them to be present at this conference, which will serve, I believe, as well as any to demonstrate the methods which the Consolidated Companies is obliged to meet and those which it proposes to employ.”

“I don’t know that this interests me much,” interrupted Brady, ill-humoredly.  “Our business is done, ain’t it?”

“Not quite,” Gorham continued, scarcely heeding the break.  “On behalf of the Consolidated Companies, and exercising the rights vested in me by my Board of Directors, I have just handed to you, Mr. Brady, a certified check for one hundred thousand dollars.  Why it should go to you instead of to Mr. Collins you probably know better than I—­it is enough that you have his authority to receive it.  I happen to be aware that this check represents fifty thousand dollars more than Mr. Collins paid to get the franchise through the Board of Aldermen, so it is fair to assume that the price of twelve city fathers is the same as two private citizens.”

Harris found some difficulty in restraining Brady at this point, but their joint uncertainty regarding Gorham’s ultimate purpose resulted in preserving silence.

“In addition to the check for the franchise,” he continued, “I have also handed to Mr. Brady other certified checks for some twenty million dollars beyond the par value of the stocks of the various companies included in the merger which has just been consummated.”

“What are you kickin’ about?” demanded Brady.  “Ain’t that the price you agreed to?”

“It is; and I consider the properties worth the price or I should not have agreed to it.”

“The stockholders ought to be satisfied, hadn’t they?  They’re gettin’ good returns.”

“Yes, they ought to be satisfied, and I have no doubt they are.”

“Then what’s the point, friend—­what’s all this palaver?”

“I was just coming to that.  There are three short lines which are not mentioned in that contract.  May I ask if there was any special reason for their omission?”

“That’s our business,” snarled Brady.

“I know it is,” Gorham replied, sharply, “and I’m going to ask you to attend to it right now.”

“We’ll attend to it when we get good and ready.”  Brady squared himself for the issue.  “If you was as smart as you think you are, you’d have thought of those three lines before you cashed up.”

“I didn’t overlook them,” Gorham replied.  “I can buy them cheaper now.”

Brady was amused and showed his appreciation of the speaker’s humor in his sidelong glance at Harris.

“You think so, do you?” he calmed himself enough to reply.  “I presume you’ve settled on the price you’re goin’ to pay?”

“I have,” answered Gorham; “but I’m not quite ready to quote it.  The stockholders of these small companies understood that you were purchasing their stock to be merged with the New York Street Railways Company, didn’t they?”