Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE UNFORTUNATE AVENGER " Life is short, art is long, opportunity fugitive, experimenting dangerous, reasoning difficult." — textit{Hippocrates. DIRECTLY Enderby was gone, Chester seated himself at the table and went carefully through all the memoranda of transactions between him and Auge, transactions extending over three years. Still smarting from these recollections and a natural anger, strengthened by the stimulant he had taken, he presently found himself determined to seek out the money-lender and demand some explanations. The amount he had overpaid Auge came to nearly seven thousand dollars. It was a sum he calculated more than sufficient to win his legal diploma, and legally it was his own. He. would go to the usurer's home and threaten him with exposure. He had heard that such men feared more than anything publicity, and there was one of New York's magistrates who had earned forhimself some fame by denouncing such practices. He would threaten Auge with this Draco and an understanding would be reached. In his present mood there seemed nothing out of the way in the scheme. He would be willing to accept five thousand dollars. And if Auge refused, as would be not unlikely, then there should be all the publicity possible. Richard chuckled to think of the matter reaching his brother by way of the yellow press. John had a fastidious horror of notoriety. When he had committed himself to this adventure Richard's spirits rose amazingly. But he did not neglect to take certain precautions. He was not anxious to be recognized, and if by any chance Auge proved obstinate and talked of police and blackmail some disguise would be profitably employed. There was a long, heavy, mustard-colored coat, owned by Meadows and used by him in traveling. It enveloped Chester...