“For Senator Peabody, sir, marked ‘Urgent.’  The messenger’s been hunting him for some hours.”

Langdon looked shrewdly at Bud, then turned to the servant.

“You keep that note until I ring for you, then bring it to Senator Peabody.  Understand?  No matter how urgent it’s marked.”

The man bowed.

“Yes, sir.”

“Now tell Mr. Norton, Miss Langdon and Mr. Randolph to come here.”

The Senator turned back to his secretary.

“I expect I’m going to be pretty busy the rest of the evening, Bud, so in case I forget to mention it again, remember to show up at your old desk in the morning.”

“I will.  Thank you, sir.”

“You sent for us, Senator,” said Norton, approaching with his two dupes.

“You are interested in Altacoola lands,” the Senator angrily charged.

“I am, sir,” he said.

“And you told Mr. Haines that I was interested in Altacoola lands?”

The schemer hesitated, and the Senator broke in on him in rage.

“Speak out, man!  Tell the truth, if you can.”

“I did,” admitted the Congressman finally.

“Was there any particular reason for your not telling the truth?” demanded the Mississippian in threatening tone.

“I told the truth,” replied Norton.  “You are interested in them.”

For an instant Langdon seemed about to step toward him, then he controlled himself.

“I didn’t know it,” he said.

“You have several things to learn, Senator,” declared the Congressman.

“I have things to learn and things to teach,” he said.  “But go on.  Why am I interested?”

“You are interested, Senator,” replied the trickster, making his big play, “through your son, Randolph, who invested $50,000 of your money in Altacoola, and also through your daughter, Miss Carolina, who, acting on my advice, has put her own money—­$25,000—­in Altacoola land also.”

For a moment Langdon was speechless.  It was too much at first for the honest old Southerner to comprehend.

“You mean,” he gasped at last, “that you induce a boy to put $50,000 in Altacoola land when you knew I had to vote on the bill?  And you even let my daughter put her money in the same scheme?”

“Of course, I did.  It was a splendid chance, and I let your son in for friendship and your daughter because she has done me the honor to promise to become my wife.”

“What!  You have my daughter’s promise to marry you, you—­”

“She admits it herself.”

“Then I reckon here’s where I lose a prospective son-in-law,” sneered Langdon.  “But that’s unimportant.  Now, Norton, who’s behind you?”

“I must decline to answer that.”

Langdon looked at him sternly.

“Very well,” he said.  “You are too small to count.  I’ll find out for myself.  Now you go to my study and wait there until I send for you.  I must be alone with my children.”