“Just another company in which Manton has an interest,” he replied, casually.  “That was why I said I advised that Enid make her contract personally with Manton.  If Manton Pictures goes up, then he will have to swing her into Fortune Features—­the other Manton enterprise, don’t you see?” He paused, then added:  “By the way, don’t say anything outside about that.  It isn’t generally known—­and as soon as anyone does hear it, everybody in the film game will hear it.  You don’t know how gossip travels in this business.”

Kennedy asked a few personal questions about Stella, but Millard’s answers indicated that he had not contemplated or even hoped for a reconciliation, that his interest in his former wife had become thoroughly platonic.  Just now, however, he seemed unable to keep Manton out of his mind.

“Oh, Manton’s clever!” he said, confidentially to Kennedy, as he watched the promoter deftly maneuvering Leigh and Enid into a position side by side.

And indeed, as Millard talked, I began to get some inkling of how really clever was the game which Manton played.

“Why,” continued Millard, warming up to his story—­for, to him, above all, a good story was something that had to be told, whatever might result from it—­“I have known him to pay a visit some afternoon to Wall Street—­go down there to beard the old lions in their den.  He always used to show up about the closing time of the market.

“I’ve known him to get into the office of some one like Leigh or Phelps.  Then he’ll begin to talk about his brilliant prospects in the company he happens to be promoting at the time.  If you listen to Manton you’re lost.  I know it—­I’ve listened,” he added, whimsically.

“Well,” he continued, “the banker will begin to get restless after a bit—­not at Manton, but at not getting away.  ’My car is outside,’ Manton will say.  ‘Let me drive you uptown.’  Of course, there’s nothing else for the banker to do but to accept, and when he gets into Manton’s car he’s glad he did.  I don’t know anyone who picks out such luxurious things as he does.  Why, that man could walk right out along Automobile Row, broke, and some one would give him a car.”

“How does he do it?” I put the question to him.

“How does a fish swim?” said Millard, smiling.  “He’s clever, I tell you.  Once he has the banker in the car, perhaps they stop for a few moments at a club.  At any rate, Manton usually contrives it so that, as they approach his apartment, he has his talk all worked up to the point where the banker is genuinely interested.  You know there’s almost nothing people will talk to you longer about than moving pictures.

“Well, on one pretext or another, Manton usually persuades the banker to step up here for a moment.  Poor simp!  It’s all over with him then.  I’ll never forget how impressed Phelps was with this place the first time.  There, now, watch this fellow, Leigh.  He thinks this looks like a million dollars.  We’re all here, playing Manton’s game.  We’re his menagerie—­he’s Barnum.  I tell you, Leigh’s lost, lost!”