Hammon had bulked large in the steel world, and his position in
circles of high finance had become prominent; but alive he could
never have worked one-half the havoc caused by his sudden death.
That persistent rumor of suicide argued, in the public mind, the
existence of serious money troubles, and gave significance to the
rumor that for some time past had disturbed the Street. Hammon's
enemies summoned their forces for a crushing assault.

In this emergency Bob's father found himself the real head of
those vast enterprises in which he had been an associate, and
until a late hour that night he was forced to remain in
consultation with men who came and went with consternation written
upon their faces.

The amazing transformation which followed the birth of the giant
Steel Trust had raised many men from well-to-do obscurity into
prominence and undreamed-of wealth. Since then the older members
of the original clique had withdrawn one by one from active
affairs, and of the younger men only Wharton and Hammon had
remained. Equally these two had figured in what was perhaps the
most remarkable chapter of American financial history. Both had
been vigorous, self-made, practical men. But the outcome had
affected them quite differently.

Riches had turned Jarvis Hammon's mind into new channels; they had
opened strange pathways and projected him into a life foreign to
his early teachings. His duties had kept him in New York, while
Wharton's had held him in his old home. Hammon had become a great
financier; Wharton had remained the practical operating expert,