The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-23

luck. Read that, SIR" cOncludedsJOey, pointing
attention to special PASSAGE in the report, with
fore6Iger which appeared 10 be in pro cess of
laking in through the pores nothing more re-
markable than dirt. 'Ips foreign 70 my nature
to crow over the house 1 serve, but feel 1t a
kird Of a solemn duty TO ask you to read that.n
Vendale lead as follows :-"Note, respecting
the Swiss champagne. An irregularity has been
discovered in the last consignment received
fTom the firm of Detresnier IL Coz VendRle
stopped, and referred to memorandum-book
by bis side. THAT was in Wrlding's time,n he
said. 'The vintage was a particularly good
one, and he took the whole OF it. The Swiss
champagne has done very well, hasn't it -
81 don't say it's done badly,n answered the
Cellarman. ut may have got sick IN our Gus
tom ers' bins, or it may have bust in our Gus
toners hands. But | don't say it's done badly
with us.n
Vendale resumed the reading of the note:-5
1--WE find the number OF the cases To be quite
correct by the books. But six of them, which
present a slight difference from the rest in the
brand, have been opened, and have been found
70 contain q red wine instead of Champagne.
The similarity IN the brands, we suppose, caused
p mistage TO be made in sending the coAs'gp-
ment from Ncuchatel The error has not been
found to extend beyond six cases.r
els that all ~ exclaimed Vendale, tossing the
uote away from him.
joey Ladies' eye followed the flying morsel of
paper drearily.
Pm glad to see you take it easy, sir, he said.
Whatever happens, 1t Will be always a comfort
to you TO remember that you look it easy at irst.
Sometimes one mistake leads to another. A
man drops bit of orange.peel on the pavement
by mistake, ard another man treads on II by
mistake, and there's job at the hospital aud a
party crippled for life. Pm clad you take it
easy, sir. In Pobbleson Nephew's time we
shouldn't have taken it easy till we had seen the
end of il. Without desiring to crow over the
house, Young Mr.. Vendale wish you well
through II. No o1ense, sir" said the Cellarman,
opeping the door to 60 out, and looking in again
ominously before he shut it. Pm muddled
and molloncoly, grant you. But I'm an old
servant OF Pebbleson Nephew, and | wish you
well through them six cases of red wiue."
Left by himself, Vendale laugh ed and took up
his pen. IL may az we'll send line to Defres-
nier and Company" he thought, "before for
get it," He wrote at once in these terms:-
Dear srs:-we are taking stock, and trihlng
mistake has been discovered In the last consignment
cases contain red wine-which we hereby return to
you; The matter can easily be set right either by
be produced, or fnOt by your creditlng with the
servants, WILDING d Co."
This letter despatched to the post the subject
dropped at once out of Vendale's mind He had
other and far more interesting matters to think
Of. Later in the daY he paid the visit to Oben-
rezer which had been agreed between them.
Certain evenings in the week were set apart
which he was privileged to spend with Mar
guerite-always however, in the presence of
third person. On this stipulation Obenrelzer
politely but positively insisted The one con-
cessicn he made was to give Vendale his choice
of who the third person should be. Confding
in past experience his choice fell unhesitatingly
upon the excellent woman who mended 0ben-
reizers stockings. On hearing OF the respon-
sibllity intrusted to her, Madame DORIS intellec-
tual nature burst suddenly into a new stage of
development. She waited till ObenreiZer's eye
was Ch her, and then she looked at Vendale and
dimly winked.
The time passed-the happy evenings with
Marguerite came and went. IL was the tenth
orning since Vendae had written 10 the
Swiss firm, when the answer appeared ON his
desk, with the other letters OF the day.
Dear Sirs--We b+g to offer our for the lit
regret to add That the our error win VICE
aee yGg yscoSef oSys YqTea e & S hH sS
you and for US. The particulars are as follows:-
sent to you, we made arrangements to credit your
firm with the value Of the six cases. suggested by
IN our mode of dong business necessitated reference
result is moral certainty that such remittance as
you mention can have reached house, and a
literal certainty that no such remittance has been
paid 10 our account at the bank.
trouble you with details The money has UNIQUE stion-
ably been stolen in he course Of its transit from you
to the manner in which The fraud has been perpe-
calculated being able to pay the missing SUN to
our bar ker before an inevitable discovery followed
have happened in the usual course fdr another three
months. During that period, but for your letter we
robbery that has been clmmitted:
to show you u at we Rave TO do in this case with
cion OF who that thief is But we believe You viii as
sist us in akng some advance towards discovery bv
no doubt Pnrported to 10 you from our house.
Be pleased TO look and whether It is a receipt en-
urey in manuscript, whether Il Is a numbered and
printed form which merely requires the filling in OF
ihe amount The settlement OF this apparently
trivial question is, we assure you, matter Of vital
main, with high esteem and o9nslderation,
Vendale laid the letter on his DESK and
waited a moment to steady his mind under the
shock that had fallen on II, At the time of all
oIEers when it was most important to him to
increase the value of his business, that business
was threatened with loss of five hundred
pounds. He thought Of Marguerite, as he took
the key from his pocket and opened the iron
chamber in the wall in which the books and
papers OF the firm were kept.
He was still III the chamber searching for the
forged receipt when he was startled by q voice
speaking close behind him.
"a thousand pardOns," said the voice; ~ am
He turned, and found himself face to face with
MaIguefite's guardian.
II have calledn pursued 0benreizer, "to know
IL / can be of any use. Business of my own
takes me away toI some days to Manchester and
Liverpool. Can combine any business of yours
with it? am entirely at your disposal in the
character OF commercial traveller for the firm ol
Widing & Coz
"Excuse NE for one moment,n said Vendale
| 81 will speak to ou directly" He turned round
| again, and continued his search among the
| papers. ''You come at time when friendly
| oilers are more than usually precious TO me- he
| resumed. 81 have had very bad news thi:
| morning from Neuchatel."
bad news y exclaimed 0benreizer. 'From
| DefresnieT Il CoW
Eyes. A remittance we sent to them has been
| stolen. / am threatened with loss of i've hun
| dTed pounds. What's that!n
| Turning sharply, aud looking into the room
| for The second VQudale discovered MS