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Judge Stone, the leading attorney for the plaintiff, nodded assent.

"The plaintiff is ready, your Honour."

"W-we're ready, t-too," stammered Mr. Norton from the other side of the magnate, and a titter ran through the crowd.

Judge Stone arose at the plaintiff's desk. He moved about on his table several packages of papers bound together with rubber bands.

"I have here, your Honour," he outlined briefly, "itemized accounts of the daily wages paid out by the Irontown Bank on the construction of the Lane County railroad. This bundle contains mortgages given by David Jones to the Irontown Bank covering said railroad holdings and also certain realty belonging to Mr. Jones. This is a simple action of foreclosing a number of mortgages for debt. It was necessary to bring it in chancery because the expenses of the railroad are still current and it would involve a loss to stop all proceedings to await ordinary legal action. The entire indebtedness of the Lane County railroad to the Irontown Bank totals, to date, one hundred and twenty-five thousand seven hundred and eighty-six dollars and forty-two cents. We will deposit the papers and other inventories with the court."

Here Judge Stone made a faint gesture to Buckingham Sharp, who piled the bundles on his arm and transferred them to the judge's desk.

"Is there any denial of these mortgages and accounts?" inquired the chancellor in his deliberate tone.

Mr. Norton arose beside the magnate and tapped nervously on his desk. The whole house watched him intently, with a feeling that some sort of trap was about to be sprung. Norton bent his head over for a last consultation with his client.

"M-Mr. J-Jones, says, y-your Honour, that to the b-best of his r-r-recollection the total is a h-hundred and twenty-five thousand eight h-hundred and eighty-six dollars and s-seventeen cents. H-he says Mr. Northcutt must have left out