Chapter VII: Act I: LOVE VS. IMPULSE.--Dollerclutch's office.--A fruitless

journey, a heap of accumulated business and a chapter of unparalleled impudence.--News from the front.--A poor girl's trouble and a lawyer's big heart.--Hilda's sad story.--"I'll see this thing through if it costs me a fortune!"--A sudden departure in search of a clue.--The meeting of friends.--One of nature's noblemen.--Maitland betrays his secret by a slip of the tongue.--The ball at Beachwood.--Two spooneys, fresh from college, lose their heads and their hearts.--"Squashed, by Jupiter!"--Trusting innocence and polished villainy.--The interrupted tryst.--An honest man's avowal.--A picture of charming simplicity.--Murdell and Hilda meet face to face.--"I dare you to make another victim!"--A scoundrel's discomfiture.--TABLEAU.