He was the head of the firm.

It was due to his ripe judgment and keen common sense that the business ran on; his name and standing it was that gave it stability.
Perhaps he had permitted the girl to do more than her share of the work, and hence her inclination to take all the credit for their joint success was only natural, but it was time to change all that; time to turn a big deal without her assistance.

That was the thing to do, handle the Jackson lease in his own way and turn it over for a price far in excess of seventy-five thousand dollars.

Anybody could sell things for less than they were worth, but it took real ability to realize their full value.

Here was a snap, a chance to clean up big money--"Bob" said so--why not, then, take over the lease for himself and her, pay something down, hold it for a few weeks, and then resell it at a staggering profit?
Such things were being done--Tom did not know just how, but he could easily find out--and there were several thousand dollars in the bank to the firm's account.