Mr. Batch, angry and bewildered, descended into the rotunda, where he shortly heard two astounding pieces of news.  The first was that the Honorable Heth Sutton had abandoned the Florizel cigars and had gone home to Clovelly.  The second; that Mr. Bijah Bixby had resigned the claw-hammer and had ceased to open the packing cases in the Railroad Room.  Consternation reigned in that room, so it was said (and this was true).  Mr. Worthington and Mr. Duncan and Mr. Lovejoy were closeted there with Mr. Flint, and the door was locked and the transom shut, and smoke was coming out of the windows.

Yes, Mr. Bijah Bixby is the canny captain of whom Mr. Balch spoke:  he it is who owns that block of river towns, intact, and the one senator.  Impossible!  We have seen him opening the packing cases, we have seen him working for the Worthington faction for the last two years.  Mr. Bixby was very willing to open boxes, and to make himself useful and agreeable; but it must be remembered that a good captain of mercenaries owes a sacred duty to his followers.  At first Mr. Flint had thought he could count on Mr. Bixby; after a while he made several unsuccessful attempts to talk business with him; a particularly difficult thing to do, even for Mr. Flint, when Mr. Bixby did not wish to talk business.  Mr. Balch had found it quite as difficult to entice Mr. Bixby away from the boxes and the Railroad Room.  The weeks drifted on, until twelve went by, and then Mr. Bixby found himself, with his block of river towns and one senator, in the incomparable position of being the arbiter of the fate of the Consolidation Bill in the House and Senate.  No wonder Mr. Balch wanted to buy the services of that famous regiment at any price!

But Mr. Bixby, for once in his life, had waited too long.

When Mr. Balch, rejoicing, but not a little indignant at not having been taken into confidence, ascended to the Throne Room after supper to question Jethro concerning the meaning of the things he had heard, he found Senator Peleg Hartington seated mournfully on the bed, talking at intervals, and Jethro listening.

“Come up and eat out of my hand,” said the senator.

“Who?” demanded Mr. Balch.

“Bije,” answered the senator.

“Great Scott, do you mean to say you’ve got Bixby?” exclaimed the railroad president.  He felt as if he would like to shake the senator, who was so deliberate and mournful in his answers.  “What did you pay him?”

Mr. Hartington appeared shocked by the question.

“Guess Heth Sutton will settle with him,” he said.

“Heth Sutton!  Why the—­why should Heth pay him?”