The Money Gods

"The Money Gods" by Ellery H. Clark is an early 20th-century story about a private secretary named Hugh Bellingham who works for a rich banker, Marshall Hamilton. Bellingham, struggling with his own money problems, gets a glimpse into the world of the wealthy and powerful. When he plays hide-and-seek with Hamilton's son, he sees Hamilton secretly leave through a hidden passage, which makes him curious. Bellingham starts to notice the complicated schemes of the financial big shots and feels his own strong need for money growing, which leads to a suspenseful look at ambition and the tricky choices people make when chasing wealth.