“It’s the chance I gave you in the beginning.  First, let me tell you what I reckon you’re already admitting.  You’re whipped, Hardwick; your slate’s broken, and your man Reynolds hasn’t a ghost of a show—­he nor any of the others on your string.  You haven’t made a move that we haven’t caught onto just about as soon as you put your fingers on the piece you meant to move.  For instance, that little box up there in the beaming just over your head—­the one that looks as if it were a part of the house electric installation—­is a microphone, and one of your own men helped to put it up.  We’ve got copies of every letter and telegram you’ve dictated since you had this desk dragged out here a week ago Saturday.”

“I’m taking all that for granted,” was the curt admission.

“Then we’ll come down to the nib of the thing and put you out of your misery.  You’ve got two things to do—­just two, Hardwick.  One of ’em is to clean house and make a good job of it, just like you let Evan believe you were going to do when you sent him out to tell the people of this State a lot of things that you didn’t mean to have come true; cut out all the deals, all the private tariffs, all the little preferentials and palm-warmings.  When you’ve done that, you’ll find that the other thing will mighty nearly do itself.”

“Name it,” rasped the magnate.

“It’s just merely to take your railroad out of politics in this State, and keep it out.  We’ve had enough of you, McVickar, and more than enough.  Is it a bargain?”

“It’s a damned one-sided bargain thus far, Blount.  What do we get for all this?”

Again the senator chuckled genially.  “You may not believe it, but we’re going to let you down easy.  You do these two things that I’ve mentioned, and get rid of Kittredge and a few others that have been caught red-handed, and the Supreme Court investigation won’t touch your railroad as a corporation—­in other words, it’ll go after individuals.  But you’ve got to play fair, you know—­and bring forth fruits meet for repentance, before the fact.  How does that strike you?”

Again the vice-president got up to walk the floor, but this time the deliberative interval was shorter.

“What is the political programme, as you have it figured out, David?” he asked presently.

“It’ll be a landslide for us, as I have told you.  Gordon will go in by the biggest majority that has ever been rolled up in this State.  Dortscher will succeed himself as attorney-general; and by and by, after things have quieted down, he will resign.  That will give Gordon the appointment of his successor, and I’m thinking it might be a pretty good thing for you, as well as for the people of the State, if Alec should happen to pick out a bright young fellow who knows your side of the question as well as the people’s, and who is square enough to give you a fair show when it comes to framing up any new railroad legislation.”