He was pacing the floor.
"So—that's the plan. Hold back, keep the stock up until they get started. Then let it go down until I'm forced to sell out at a loss, buy it back cheap, and control the reorganization. Well, I haven't control now, alone. I wish I did have. But neither have they. The public owns the stock now. I need it. Who'll get it first—that's the question!"
He was thinking rapidly.
"If you could do a little bear manipulation yourself," she suggested. "That might get the public scared. You could get enough to control, perhaps, then. They wouldn't dare sell—or if they did they would weaken their own control. Either way, you get them, going or coming."
"Exactly what I was thinking. Play their own game—ahead of them—accelerate it."
It was just after the lunch hour that Constance resumed her place at her desk with the receiver at her ear.
There were voices again in the board room.
"My God, Sheppard, what do you think? Someone is selling Motors—five points off and still going down."
"Who is it? What shall we do?"
"Who! Brainard, of course. Some one has peached. What are you going to do?"