"Surely, I warned you of such action, and you expected it—"
"Such action as this?" Armstrong struck the papers violently. "Do you realize that these charges have not a particle of truth, of substantiation—that the suit is illegal, the whole action a mockery of the law?"
Mansfield, imperturbably, assented.
"Quite so. I realize, also, that we are helpless. After the election this suit will be dismissed. Make up your mind, sir, that Macgowan is going to vote your stock at this meeting! At any cost! He cares not what punitive action we take afterward. He can fight that in the courts, postpone retribution, evade from pillar to post. In the end, he must settle; before that time comes, he will have milked Consolidated to the limit, and will be well able to settle. Our one hope is and must be to beat this trickster by the votes of your stockholders."
Armstrong turned to Judge Holcomb, who was present with Bruton.
"Can we do that, gentlemen?"
Bruton had been swiftly checking over a paper in his hand. Now he glanced up.
"We have at this moment one hundred votes in excess of a majority."
"What? You mean—"
"Even granting him the voting trust, Macgowan has lost. Proxies for three hundred shares came in to-day. We are actually at this moment on the safe side, and with what comes in during the next few days, we shall be indisputably in control."