Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-12-04
An UNLIMITED Guest.

money was flowing in and running out
In the usual business-like manner. from
a raised desk in my private room, |, the
manager of the Royal Domestic Bank,
looked out on the busy scene with GER
tain pride and pleasure. The Royal DO
mestc is not long established lnstltu-
ton, and, without vanity, may say that
much of its prosperity and success is at
tributed to the zeal and experience or It's
manager. In confederation of the state
ment, / might refer to the last printed
report of its directors, laid before the
shareholders, at their annual meeting,
in which they are pleased to say-but
after all, perhaps may be thought gull
" of undue egotism and conceit, II l re-
peat the fiattering terms in which they
speak of me.
A clerk put his head inside my door
Mr.. Thrapstow, sir, to speak to you.
"Send him in, Roberts, said.
Charles Thrapstow | had known from
bovhood. We lad both been reared in
the same country town. The fact that
lis parents were of considerably high
er social status than mine, perhaps, made
our subsequent intimacy all the pleasant
er to me, and caused me to set value
upon his good opinion greater that its in
trinsic worth. Thrapstow was stock
broker, clever, pushing fellow, who
had the reputation of possessing an ex-
cellent judgment and great good luck.
At nv request he brought his account to
our bank. 1t was a good account; he
always kept a fair balance, and the
cashier had never to look twice at his
checks.
Charlie, like everybody else in bust
ness. occasionally wanted money. lhad
let him have advances at various times,
of course amply covered by his securi-
ties. advances which were always promt-
w repaid, and the securities redeemed.
At this time he had five thousand
pounds of ours, to secure which we held
CITY of Damascus Water Company's
bonds to the nominal value of ten thou
sand. NY directors rather demurred to
these bonds, as being somewhat specula-
tive in nature but as | represented that
the company was highly respectable, and
its shares well quoted in the market, and
that had full confidence in our custo-
mer, our people sanctioned the advance.
| had, perhaps, little uneasy feeling
myself about those bonds, for they were
not everybody's money, and there might
have been some difficulty in finding a
customer for them in case of the neCessi-
ty for sudden sale.
Thrapstow came in radiant. He was
a good-looking fellow, with fair beard
and moustache, bright eyes of blush
gray, nose tilted upwards, giving him
q saucy, resolute air; he was always
well-dressed, the shiniest of boots, the
most delicate shade of color in his light
trousers and gloves, the glossiest of blue
frock coats, q neat light dust-coat over
it, blue birds-eye scarf round his
throat, in which was thrust q massive
pin, containg a fine topaz, full of lustre
and yellow as beaten gold.
"Well, I've got customer for those
Damascus bonds waiting at my office;
sold 'em well, toto Billings Brothers,
who want them for an Arab firm. One
premium, and / bought ut one discount"
81 am very glad of it, Charlie, I
said, and felt really pleased, not only
for Thrapstow's sake, but because ]
should be glad to get rid of the bonds,
and the directors shrugs whenever they
were mentioned.
"Hand 'em over, old fellow" said
Charlie, "and I'll bring you Billings
check up in five minutes. You won't
have closed by then; or if you have, III
come in at the private door"
went to the safe and put my hand
upon the bonds.
Charlie stood there looking so frank
and free, holding out his hand for the
bonds, that hadn't the heart to say to
him, as ought to have done, bring your
customer here, and let him settle for the
bonds, and then | will hand them over.
| should have said this to anybody else,
but somehow couldn't say it to Charlie.
There would be only five minutes risk,
and surely it was no risk at all.
The thing wBs done in a moment;
was carried away by Thrapstow's ire
bonds and Charlie went off like shot.
1t wanted seven minutes to three and
| sat watching the hands of the clock
in little tremor, despite my full
confidence in Thrapstrow but then l
had so thorough knowledge of all the
rules of banking that | couldn't help
thinking that had done wrong. A few
minutes would set it right. Charles
white hat and glittering topaz would
soon put in an appearance.
Just at minute to three the cashier
brought me three checks, with a little
slip of paper attached. They were
Thrapstrow's checks for fifteen hundred
twelve hundred and three hundred odd
respectively, and his balance was only
five hundred odd.
turned white and cold. ''Of course
you must refuse Them" ! said to the
cashier.
When he went out, sat in my chair,
quite still for a few minutes, bewildered
at the sudden misfortune that had hap
pened to me. Charles Thrapstrow was
clearly defaulter, but there was this
one chance, he might have given the
checks in the confidence of selling those
bonds, and placing the balance to his
account. In due course those checks,
which were crossed, would have been
brought to the clearing house, and have
been presented on the morrow. But it
seemed that his creditors had some mis-
trust and had caused the checks to be
demanded out of due course.
The clock struck three. Charles had
not come back. The bank doors closed
with clang. ] could endure suspense
no longer. Telling the bank porter that
If Mr.. Thrapstow came he was to be
admitted at the private door, and was to
be detained in my room till ! returned,
| went out and made my way to his of
flee. which was only a few hundred
yards distant. He was not there. The
clerk, youth of fifteen, knew nothing
about him. He was in Chapel Court, per-
haps-anywhere, he didn't know. Had
he been in within the last half hour
Well, no, the clerk did not think he had.
His story, then, of the customer in his
Office was a lie.
With heavy heart went back TO
the bank. No; Mr.. Thrapstow hadn't
been in, the porter said. | took a cab
and went off to the office of Mr.. Gedge-
mount, the solicitor of the bank. told
him in confidence what had happened,
and asked his advice.
"Could / get a warrant against this
Thrapstow for stealing the bonds p
upon my word, said Gedgemont, II
don't think you can make criminal mat
ter of it, 1t isn't larceny, because you
abandoned possession of the bonds vol
UNFAIRLY. You must make bankrupt
of him and then pursue him as having
fraudulenLly carried off his assets.