“I think I am able to look after myself, Jefferson.  Thanks, all the same.”

He shrugged his shoulders and made no reply.  She said good-bye to Mrs. Ryder, who was again immersed in her tradespeople bills, and left the room, escorted by Jefferson, who accompanied her downstairs and on to the street where Senator Roberts was waiting for her in the open victoria.  The senator greeted with unusual cordiality the young man whom he still hoped to make his son-in-law.

“Come and see us, Jefferson,” he said.  “Come to dinner any evening.  We are always alone and Kate and I will be glad to see you.”

“Jefferson has so little time now, father.  His work and—­his friends keep him pretty busy.”

Jefferson had noted both the pause and the sarcasm, but he said nothing.  He smiled and the senator raised his hat.  As the carriage drove off the young man noticed that Kate glanced at one of the upper windows where Mr. Bagley stood behind a curtain watching.  Jefferson returned to the house.  The psychological moment had arrived.  He must go now and confront his father in the library.

CHAPTER IX

The library was the most important room in the Ryder mansion, for it was there that the Colossus carried through his most important business deals, and its busiest hours were those which most men devote to rest.  But John Burkett Ryder never rested.  There could be no rest for any man who had a thousand millions of dollars to take care of.  Like Macbeth, he could sleep no more.  When the hum of business life had ceased down town and he returned home from the tall building in lower Broadway, then his real work began.  The day had been given to mere business routine; in his own library at night, free from inquisitive ears and prying eyes, he could devise new schemes for strengthening his grip upon the country, he could evolve more gigantic plans for adding to his already countless millions.

Here the money Moloch held court like any king, with as much ceremony and more secrecy, and having for his courtiers some of the most prominent men in the political and industrial life of the nation.  Corrupt senators, grafting Congressmen, ambitious railroad presidents, insolent coal barons who impudently claimed they administered the coal lands in trust for the Almighty, unscrupulous princes of finance and commerce, all visited this room to receive orders or pay from the head of the “System.”  Here were made and unmade governors of States, mayors of cities, judges, heads of police, cabinet ministers, even presidents.  Here were turned over to confidential agents millions of dollars to overturn the people’s vote in the National elections; here were distributed yearly hundreds of thousands of dollars to grafters, large and small, who had earned it in the service of the “interests.”