Matthew Blacklock, the central figure of the story, is essentially a
self-made man, who has made himself a power to be reckoned with. He is
a man of great natural force, immense egotism, insatiable greed for
notoriety and unswerving adherence to his own standards of morality.
He has two devouring ambitions: First to become one of the inner
circle that controls high finance and second to become one of the
elect in society.
The opening chapters explain these ambitions. The magnate of the
financial world is Roebuck, who has from time to time made use of
Blacklock's peculiar abilities and following. The latter has become
dissatisfied with his role as a mere instrument and demands of Roebuck
that he shall be given a place among the "seats of the mighty."
Roebuck makes a pretense of yielding to the demand.
Blacklock's social ambition is awakened and stimulated by his meeting
with Anita Ellersly, a young society girl whose family have been the
recipients of many financial favors from him.
Using these obligations as a lever, he secures the entree to the
Ellersly home, though it is soon made plain to him that his intentions
with respect to Anita are extremely distasteful to her.
His first impulse is to regard his plans as hopeless, but his vanity
comes to his rescue and strengthens his resolution to succeed. For
assistance he turns to Monson, the trainer of his racing stable, an
Englishman of good birth and breeding. Under Monson's tuition he makes
rapid progress in adapting himself to the requirements imposed upon
aspirants for social distinction.
Blacklock persists in his attention to Anita and finally becomes
engaged to her, though it is perfectly understood by both that she
does not love him and accepts him only because he is rich and her
family is poor.
Meantime, he has to some extent lost his hold upon his affairs in Wall
Street and suddenly awakens to the fact that he has been betrayed by
Mowbray Langdon, one of Roebuck's trusted lieutenants, who, knowing
that Blacklock is deeply involved in a short interest in Textile Trust
stock, has taken advantage of the latter's preoccupation with Miss
Ellersly to boom the price of the stock. With ruin staring him in the
face, Blacklock takes energetic measures to save himself.
He sees Anita, tells her the situation and frees her, but she refuses
to accept her release when she hears of Langdon's duplicity.
With the aid of money loaned to him by a gambler friend, he succeeds
the next day, by means of large purchases of Textile Trust, in
postponing the catastrophe.
Calling at the house of the Ellerslys, he has a violent scene with
Mrs. Ellersly, who attempts to break the engagement between him and
Anita, but it ends in his taking her with him from the house.
They go to the house of Blacklock's partner, Joseph Ball, where they
are married, after which Blacklock takes his wife to his own
apartments, despite her protest that she wishes to go to her uncle's.
Anita plainly shows her aversion to her husband, though he treats her
with the greatest delicacy and consideration.
After some days the young wife receives a call from her parents, who
seek to persuade her to leave Blacklock, telling her that they have
private information that he will soon be a bankrupt. Anita refuses to
go unless they will return to her husband all the money they have
obtained from him.
All this she frankly tells Blacklock, who scoffs at the idea that he
is in sore straits financially, though in his secret heart he knows
that his position is indeed precarious.
In his extremity he goes to Roebuck, to ascertain, if he can, if he
too is in the plot to ruin him.