CHAPTER XIX
IN THE WEB
At about eleven o’clock the next morning Joe and Reggie reached Wall Street and were whizzed up in an elevator to the floor on which Harrish had his offices.
Joe found them quite as sumptuous as Reggie had described. There was a large outer room, in which a score or more of customers were moving about, watching the ticker, or noting down the quotations on the various stocks that were chalked up on a big blackboard. Beyond this room was a group of offices, from which came the click of typewriters, and the private office of Harrish himself.
Joe had anticipated some difficulty in reaching the inner sanctum when his name should be announced, but had made up his mind that unless the door were actually locked nothing would prevent him from getting in there.
He was saved the necessity of any abrupt measures, however, for almost the first man their eyes fell upon was Harrish himself, who had been at the desk of the security clerk and was returning to his own room.
He caught sight of his visitors and there was a slight stiffening of his attitude that showed he had thrown himself on his guard.
He hesitated only a moment and then came forward with an oily smile and extended his hand to Reggie.
“Glad to see you, Mr. Varley,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“I want to see you privately in your office,” said Reggie. “This is my brother-in-law, Mr. Matson.”