“No,” declared Chalmers, with quite a reproving smile, “you may just keep on using the available part of it; for the point is that you don’t lose the contract! You keep the contract, and you will build the power-house upon the original scale of one-fourth inch to the foot. Also you will carry out the rest of the work on the same basis as figured by other contractors. I want to remind you that you are well bonded, well financed, and that the city holds a guarantee of twenty per cent. of the contract price as a forfeit for the due and proper completion of this job.”
“Why, it means bankruptcy!” shrieked Silas Trimmer, the deeply-graven circle about his mouth now being but the pallid and piteous caricature of his old-time sinister smile.
“That is precisely what I intend,” retorted Bobby with a snap of his jaws. “I have long, long scores to settle with both of you gentlemen.”
“But you haven’t against the other members of this company,” protested Sharpe. “Our other stockholders are entirely innocent parties.”
“They have my sincere sympathy for being caught in such dubious company,” replied Bobby with a contemptuous smile. “I happen to have a roster of your stock-holders, and every man of them has been mixed up in crooked deals in combination with Stone or Stone enterprises; so whatever they lose on this contract will be merely by way of restitution to the city.”
“Look here, Mr. Burnit,” said Sharpe, dropping his tone of remonstrance for one intended to be wheedling; “I know there are a number of financial matters between us that might have a tendency to make you vindictive. Now why can’t we just get together nicely on all of these things and compromise?”
Chalmers rapped his knuckles sharply upon his desk.
“Kindly remember where you are,” he warned.
“When I get around to settling day there will be no such thing as a compromise,” declared Bobby with repressed anger. “I’ll settle all those other matters in my own way and at my own time.”
“One thing more, gentlemen,” said Chalmers, as the chopfallen committee of the Middle West Construction Company rose to depart; “I wish to remind you that there is a forfeit clause in your contract for delay, so I should advise you to resume operations at once. Mr. Platt succeeds the unfortunate Mr. Scales as constructing engineer, and he will see that the plans and specifications of the entire contract are carried out to the letter.”