"Good! and Larssen's little boy?"
"Quite sound. I made a special interview with him.... By the way, you know that the Hudson Bay flotation is going strong on the wing?"
He held out a newspaper folded back to the financial page. A few moments' glance was sufficient to tell Matheson all that he needed to know—that the issue had been launched in his name on the night of April 30th; that to-morrow at twelve o'clock the lists were to be closed.
If he were to act at all, he must act now—at once. His jaw squared and his mouth tightened as he thought out the situation.
Then to the journalist: "We've got to smash this—you and I."
From the wallet in his breast-pocket Matheson took out Larssen's two agreements—blurred with sea-water, but now dried and fit for his purpose. He handed the agreements to Martin, who whistled surprise as he read them.
"He's underwritten it himself," was the latter's comment.
"Yes. That evades his agreement with me.... What's the price of a full-page advertisement in your paper?"
"First, what's the idea?" returned the journalist.
Matheson led the way to a hotel near at hand, and on a sheet of hotel note-paper wrote these words:—