第68章

Jadwin stared a moment.

"Oh, that isn't exactly how it works out," he said.

Before he could say more, however, the maid came in and handed to Jadwin three despatches.

"Now those," said Laura, when the servant had gone out, "you get those every morning.Are those part of your business? What do they say?""I'll read them to you," he told her as he slit the first envelopes."They are cablegrams from agents of mine in Europe.Gretry arranged to have them sent to me.Here now, this is from Odessa.It's in cipher, but"--he drew a narrow memorandum-book from his breast pocket--"I'll translate it for you."He turned the pages of the key book a few moments, jotting down the translation on the back of an envelope with the gold pencil at the end of his watch chain.

"Here's how it reads," he said at last."'Cash wheat advanced one cent bushel on Liverpool buying, stock light.Shipping to interior.European price not attractive to sellers.""What does that mean?" she asked.

"Well, that Russia will not export wheat, that she has no more than enough for herself, so that Western Europe will have to look to us for her wheat.""And the others? Read those to me."

Again Jadwin translated.

"This is from Paris:

"'Answer on one million bushels wheat in your market--stocks lighter than expected, and being cleared up.'""Which is to say?" she queried.

"They want to know how much I would ask for a million bushels.They find it hard to get the stuff over there--just as I said they would.""Will you sell it to them?"

"Maybe.I'll talk to Sam about it."

"And now the last one."

"It's from Liverpool, and Liverpool, you must understand, is the great buyer of wheat.It's a tremendously influential place."He began once more to consult the key book, one finger following the successive code words of the despatch.

Laura, watching him, saw his eyes suddenly contract.

"By George," he muttered, all at once, "by George, what's this?""What is it?" she demanded."Is it important?"But all-absorbed, Jadwin neither heard nor responded.

Three times he verified the same word.

"Oh, please tell me," she begged.

Jadwin shook his head impatiently and held up a warning hand.

"Wait, wait," he said."Wait a minute."

Word for word he wrote out the translation of the cablegram, and then studied it intently.

"That's it," he said, at last.Then he got to his feet."I guess I've had enough breakfast," he declared.He looked at his watch, touched the call bell, and when the maid appeared said:

"Tell Jarvis to bring the buggy around right away.""But, dear, what is it?" repeated Laura."You said you would tell me.You see," she cried, "it's just as Isaid.You've forgotten my very existence.When it's a question of wheat I count for nothing.And just now, when you read the despatch to yourself, you were all different; such a look came into your face, so cruelly eager, and triumphant and keen""You'd be eager, too," he exclaimed, "if you understood.Look; read it for yourself."He thrust the cable into her hands.Over each code word he had written its translation, and his wife read:

"Large firms here short and in embarrassing position, owing to curtailment in Argentine shipments.Can negotiate for five million wheat if price satisfactory.""Well?" she asked.

"Well, don't you see what that means? It's the 'European demand' at last.They must have wheat, and I've got it to give 'em--wheat that I bought.oh! at seventy cents, some of it, and they'll pay the market that is, eighty cents, for it.Oh, they'll pay more.

They'll pay eighty-two if I want 'em to.France is after the stuff, too.Remember that cable from Paris Ijust read.They'd bid against each other.Why, if Ipull this off, if this goes through--and, by George,"he went on, speaking as much to himself as to her, new phases of the affair presenting themselves to him at every moment, "by George, I don't have to throw this wheat into the Pit and break down the price--and Gretry has understandings with the railroads, through the elevator gang, so we get big rebates.Why, this wheat is worth eighty-two cents to them--and then there's this 'curtailment in Argentine shipments.' That's the first word we've had about small crops there.Holy Moses, if the Argentine crop is off, wheat will knock the roof clean off the Board of Trade!" The maid reappeared in the doorway."The buggy?" queried Jadwin."All right.I'm off, Laura, and--until it's over keep quiet about all this, you know.Ask me to read you some more cables some day.It brings good luck."He gathered up his despatches and the mail and was gone.Laura, left alone, sat looking out of the window a long moment.She heard the front door close, and then the sound of the horses' hoofs on the asphalt by the carriage porch.They died down, ceased, and all at once a great silence seemed to settle over the house.

Laura sat thinking.At last she rose.

"It is the first time," she said to herself, "that Curtis ever forgot to kiss me good-by."The day, for all that the month was December, was fine.

The sun shone; under foot the ground was dry and hard.

The snow which had fallen ten days before was practically gone.In fine, it was a perfect day for riding.Laura called her maid and got into her habit.

The groom with his own horse and "Crusader" were waiting for her when she descended.

That forenoon Laura rode further and longer than usual.