“You know him, of course—at least, who he is. He spends the steel money here in Washington—to keep the building program going on. Simple thing to do. The Navy helps him. Tell the public about the Japanese menace, the English menace, all the other menaces, and the public coughs up for bigger guns and better ships. Run ’em till they rust and nobody ever really knows what good they could do.”

“And Melcher does that?”

The Congressman chuckled. “His pay-roll would make your eyes bulge. But you can’t touch him.”

Hugo nodded thoughtfully. “Don’t you think anyone around here works purely for an idea?”

“How’s that? Oh—I understand. Sure. The cranks!” And his laughter ended the discussion.

Hugo began. He walked up the brick steps of Melcher’s residence and pulled the glittering brass knob. A servant came to the door.

“Mr. Danner to see Mr. Melcher. Just a moment.”

A wait in the hall. The servant returned. “Sorry, but he’s not in.”

Hugo’s mouth was firm. “Please tell him that I saw him come in.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but he is going right out.”

“Tell him—that he will see me.”

The servant raised his voice. “Harry!” A heavy person with a flattened nose and cauliflower ears stepped into the hall. “This gentleman wishes to see Mr. Melcher, and Mr. Melcher is not in—to him. Take care of him, Harry.” The servant withdrew.

“Run along, fellow.”

Hugo smiled. “Mr. Melcher keeps a bouncer?”

An evil light flickered in the other’s eyes. “Yeah, fellow. And I came up from the Pennsy mines. I’m a tough guy, so beat it.”

“Not so tough your ears and nose aren’t a sight,” Hugo said lightly.

The man advanced. His voice was throaty. “Git!”

“You go to the devil. I came here to see Melcher and I’m going to see him.”

“Yeah?”

The tough one drew back his fist, but he never understood afterwards what had taken place. He came to in the kitchen an hour later. Mr. Melcher heard him rumble to the floor and emerged from the library. He was a huge man, bigger than his bouncer; his face was hard and sinister and it lighted with an unpleasant smile when he saw the unconscious thug and measured the size of Hugo. “Pulled a fast one on Harry, eh?”

“I came to see you, Melcher.”

“Well, might as well come in now. I worked up from the mines myself, and I’m a hard egg. If you got funny with me, you’d get killed. Wha’ daya want?”