The trip home did bring another week with Mrs. Gerald, for after mature consideration she had decided to venture to America for a while. Chicago and Cincinnati were her destinations, and she hoped to see more of Lester. Her presence was a good deal of a surprise to Jennie, and it started her thinking again. She could see what the point was. If she were out of the way Mrs. Gerald would marry Lester; that was certain. As it was — well, the question was a complicated one. Letty was Lester’s natural mate, so far as birth, breeding, and position went. And yet Jennie felt instinctively that, on the large human side, Lester preferred her. Perhaps time would solve the problem; in the meantime the little party of three continued to remain excellent friends. When they reached Chicago Mrs. Gerald went her way, and Jennie and Lester took up the customary thread of their existence.

On his return from Europe Lester set to work in earnest to find a business opening. None of the big companies made him any overtures, principally because he was considered a strong man who was looking for a control in anything he touched. The nature of his altered fortunes had not been made public. All the little companies that he investigated were having a hand-to-mouth existence, or manufacturing a product which was not satisfactory to him. He did find one company in a small town in northern Indiana which looked as though it might have a future. It was controlled by a practical builder of wagons and carriages — such as Lester’s father had been in his day — who, however, was not a good business man. He was making some small money on an investment of fifteen thousand dollars and a plant worth, say, twenty-five thousand. Lester felt that something could be done here if proper methods were pursued and business acumen exercised. It would be slow work. There would never be a great fortune in it. Not in his lifetime. He was thinking of making an offer to the small manufacturer when the first rumours of a carriage trust reached him.

Robert had gone ahead rapidly with his scheme for reorganising the carriage trade. He showed his competitors how much greater profits could be made through consolidation than through a mutually destructive rivalry. So convincing were his arguments that one by one the big carriage manufacturing companies fell into line. Within a few months the deal had been pushed through, and Robert found himself president of the United Carriage and Wagon Manufacturers’ Association, with a capital stock of ten million dollars, and with assets aggregating nearly three-fourths of that sum at a forced sale. He was a happy man.

While all this was going forward Lester was completely in the dark. His trip to Europe prevented him from seeing three or four minor notices in the newspapers of some of the efforts that were being made to unite the various carriage and wagon manufactories. He returned to Chicago to learn that Jefferson Midgely, Imogene’s husband, was still in full charge of the branch and living in Evanston, but because of his quarrel with his family he was in no position to get the news direct. Accident brought it fast enough, however, and that rather irritatingly.

The individual who conveyed this information was none other than Mr. Henry Bracebridge, of Cleveland, into whom he ran at the union Club one evening after he had been in the city a month.

“I hear you’re out of the old company,” Bracebridge remarked, smiling blandly.

“Yes,” said Lester, “I’m out.”

“What are you up to now?”

“Oh, I have a deal of my own under consideration. I’m thinking something of handling an independent concern.”

“Surely you won’t run counter to your brother? He has a pretty good thing in that combination of his.”

“Combination! I hadn’t heard of it,” said Lester. “I’ve just got back from Europe.”

“Well, you want to wake up, Lester,” replied Bracebridge. “He’s got the biggest thing in your line. I thought you knew all about it. The Lyman–Winthrop Company, the Myer–Brooks Company, the Woods Company — in fact, five or six of the big companies are all in. Your brother was elected president of the new concern. I dare say he cleaned up a couple of millions out of the deal.”

Lester stared. His glance hardened a little.

“Well, that’s fine for Robert. I’m glad of it.”

Bracebridge could see that he had given him a vital stab.

“Well, so long, old man,” he exclaimed. “When you’re in Cl............