The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-25

knowsp 1t may be o mistake, my dear friend,
after all. Couragel couragel courager' He
had entered the room with no appearance OF be-
ing pressed for time. He now snatched up his
hat, and TOOK his leave with the air Of q man
who had not another moment to lose.
Left by himself, Vendalo took a turn thought
fully in the room.
His previous impression Of Obenreizer was
shaken by what he had heard and seen at the
interview which had just taken place. He was
disposed, for the fret time, to doubt whether, IN
this case, he had not been q little hasty and hard
in his judgment on another man. Obenreizers
surprise and regret, on hearing the news from
Neuchatel, bore the plainest marks OF being
honestly felt-not politely assumed for the oc-
caslon. With roubles Of his own to encounter,
suffering, to al appearance, from the first in
sidious attack OF q serious illness, he had looked
and spoken like a man who really deplored the dis
aster that had fallen on his friend. Hitherto, Ven-
dale had tried vainly to alter his first opinion OF
Marguerite's guardian, for Marguerite's sake.
All the generous instincts in his nature now
combined together and shook the evidence
which had seemed unanswerable up to this time:
" Who knows" he thought, II may have read
that mans face wrongly, after all"
The time passed the happy evenings with
Marguerite came end went. 1t was again the
tenth morning since Vendale had written to tho
Swiss firm, and again the answer appeared on
his desk with the other letters OF the day:
"DEAR sIns: My senior partner. N. Detresnier. has
absence (and with his Pun concurrence and authority,
I now write to you again on the subject Of the missing
five hundred pounds.
"Your discovery that the forged receipt 10 executed
upon one Of our numbered and printed forms, has
caused inexpressible surprise and distress to my part
ner and myself. At the time when your remittance
was stolen, but thre Q Keys were in existence opening
the strong box IN which our receiptforms are inva-
riabIy kept. My partner had one key I had the other.
The third was in the possession Of q gentleman who,
at that period, occupied q position OF trust In our
house. We should as soon have thought Of suspect
ing one Of ourselves 40 Of suspectng this person. Sus-
picion now points at him, nevertheless. Icanuot pre-
vail on myself to inform you who tho person In, 30
long as there is the shadow Of q chance that he may
come innocently out of the inquiry which must now
be instituted. Forgive my silence, the motive OF ID
good.
= "The form our investigation must now take 10 sim.
pie enough. The handwriting on your receipt must
be compared, by competent persons whom We have
at our disposal, with certain specimens Of handwriting
in our possession. I cannot send you the specimens,
for business reasons, which, when you hear them,
you are sure to approve. ] must beg you to send me
the receipt in Neuchatel. and, In making this re-
quest I must m itby . word OF necessary
warning.
proves to be the person who has committed this for
gerry and theft, I have reason to fear that c1rcum-
stances may have already put him on hin guard. Tho
only evidence against him 10 the evidence In your
hands, and he will move heaven and earth to obtain
and destroy it I strongly urge you not to trust the
receipt to the post. Send 1t to me, without loss OF
time, by o private hand, and choose nobody for your
but o person long established In your own
employment accustomed to travelling, capable OF
speaking French; o man Of courage, . man OF honesty,
and, above all things o man who can be trusted 70 let
moist no stranger 9s1I n sS 6nses sSaonssSn0 0o o %asn b nn yoU Ur m rao
senger Of the turn this matter has now taken. The
safe transit of the receipt may depend on your inter
pretlpg. literally the advice which I give you OF the
OF this letter.
81 have now only to add that every possible saving
Of time is now of the last importance. Moro than one
our receipt forms Is missing, and II 10 impossible to
to lay our hnnds on the thief. Your faithful servant"
"ROLLAND.
designing for Defresnier & Co.."
Who wac the suspected man? In Vendale's
it seemed useless to inquire.
WHO was to be sent to Neuchatel with the re-
Men OF courage and man Of honesty were
to be had at Cripple Corner for the asking. But
where was the man who was accustomed to
foreign travelling. who could speak the French
language, ana who could be really relied on to
let no stranger scrape acquaintance with MIN on
his route There was but one man ct HAND who
combined ell those requisites In his W person,
that man was Vendale himself.
It was q sacrifice to leave his business; it was
D greater sacrifice to leave Marguerite. But Q
OF five Lnndreo pounds was involved in
The pending inquiry and q literal interpreta-
ton CT NJ. hollands advice was insisted on In
lGImb WulCA luClO WOO LIZ b2AuAh6 w ~
more Vendale thought Of il, the more plainly the
necessity faced him, and SAID. "Gop
AS he locked up the letter with the receipt, the
Of ideas reminded him of Oben-
relzer. A guess at the identity Of the suspected
man looked more possible now. Obenreizer
might know.
The thought had barely passed through his
mind when the door opened, and Obenreizer en-
tered the room.
"They told me at Soho Square you were e1-
pected back last night" said Vendale, greeting
him. "Have you done well in the country
Are you better ."
A thousand thanks. Obenreizer had done ad-
mlrably well. Oberreizer was infinitely better.
And now, what news2 Any letter from Neu-
,hatel?"
IA very strange letter" answered Vendale.
The matter has taken o new turn, and the let
Ter insists-without excepting anybody-on my
our next prooeedingsa profound secret"
"fWlthout excepting anybody ?" repeated Oben-
reizer. As he said the words he walked away
again, thoughtfully, to the window at the
end Of the room, looked out for q moment,
suddenly came back to Vendale. "Surely
hey must have forgotten Z" he resumed, "or
hey would not have excepted me?"
TT is Monsieur ROLAND who writes" said
"And, as you Say, he must certainly
have forgotten. That view Of the matter quite
me. was just wishing I had you to