There was one case which interested him particularly, because it seemed to fit in so ominously with the grim prognosis of his brother.  He received a call from an elderly gentleman, of very evident refinement and dignity of manner, who proceeded to unfold to him a most amazing story.  Five or six years ago he had invented a storage-battery, which was the most efficient known.  He had organised a company with three million dollars’ capital to manufacture it, himself taking a third interest for his patents, and becoming president of the company.  Not long afterward had come a proposal from a group of men who wished to organize a company to manufacture automobiles; they proposed to form an alliance which would give them the exclusive use of the battery.  But these men were not people with whom the inventor cared to deal—­they were traction and gas magnates widely known for their unscrupulous methods.  And so he had declined their offer, and set to work instead to organize an automobile company himself.  He had just got under way when he discovered that his rivals had set to work to take his invention away from him.  A friend who owned another third share in his company had hypothecated his stock to help form the new company; and now came a call from the bank for more collateral, and he was obliged to sell out.  And at the next stockholders’ meeting it developed that their rivals had bought it, and likewise more stock in the open market; and they proceeded to take possession of the company, ousting the former president—­and then making a contract with their automobile company to furnish the storage-battery at a price which left no profit for the manufacturers!  And so for two years the inventor had not received a dollar of dividends upon his million dollars’ worth of paper; and to cap the climax, the company had refused to sell the battery to his automobile company, and so that had gone into bankruptcy, and his friend was ruined also!

Montague went into the case very carefully, and found that the story was true.  What interested him particularly in it was the fact that he had met a couple of these financial highwaymen in social life; he had come to know the son and heir of one of them quite well, at Siegfried Harvey’s.  This gilded youth was engaged to be married in a very few days, and the papers had it that the father-in-law had presented the bride with a cheque for a million dollars.  Montague could not but wonder if it was the million that had been taken from his client!

There was to be a “bachelor dinner” at the Millionaires’ on the night before the wedding, to which he and Oliver had been invited.  As he was thinking of taking up his case, he went to his brother, saying that he wished to decline; but Oliver had been getting back his courage day by day, and declared that it was more important than ever now that he should hold his ground, and face his enemies—­for Alice’s sake, if not for his own.  And so Montague went to the dinner, and saw deeper yet into the history of the stolen millions.