National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-11-14

nim, ~ Ought 10 nave done Brin)
your customer here, and let him settl
for the bonds, and then / will han,
them over" / should have said this t,
anybody else, but somehow couldn'
say IL to Charlie. There would only b,
five minutes risk, and surely it was nc
risk at all. >,
The thing was done in moment:
was carried away by Thrapstow's ire
sistible manner. I handed over the
bonds, and Charlie went off like shot
1t wanted seven minutes to three, and
| sat watching the hands of the clock
in little tremor. despi3e my full con.
6dence in Thrapstow but then I had
so thorough knowledge OF all the
rules of banking, that I couldn't help
feeling that / had done wrong. A few
minutes, however, would set il right.
Charles white and glttering topaz
would soon put in an appearance.
| Just at minute to three the cashier
brought me three checks, with little
slip of paper attached. They were
Thrapstow'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,' l said to the
cashitr.
When he went ont, sat i j my chair
quite still for few moments, bewilder-
ed at the sudden misfortune that had
happened to me. Charles Thrapstow
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, these
checks, which were crossed, would have
been brought to the clearing house,
and have been presented on the NOR
row. But it seemed that his creditors
had some distrust of him, 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 the sus-
pense 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 Office, which was only few
hundred yards distant. He wasn't
there. The clerk, youth of fifteen,
knew nothing about him. He was in
Capel Court, perhaps -anywhere-h
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 waiting at his
office was lie.
With heavy heart, / went back to
the bank. No; Mr.. Thrapstow hadn't
sonn, and went off to the offise- ef Mr.
Gedgemount, the solicitor to the bank.
| asked his advice. Could L get
warrant against this Thrapstow for
stealing the bonds p
" Upon my word, said Gedgemount,
81 don't think you can make crimi-
nal matter out of it. 1t isn't larceny, |
because you abandoned the possession
of the bonds Voluntarily. No; don't
see how you can touch him. You must
make bankrupt of Kim, and then you
can pursue him, as having fraudulently
carried off his assets"
But that advice was no good to me.
| think was wrong in taking it. /
think I ought to have gone straight off
to the police station and put the affair
in the hands of the detectives. Digni-
fed men of law, like Gedgemount, al
ways find dozen reasons for inaction,
except in matters that bring grist to
their own mill.
l went home completely disheartened.
How could I face my directors with
such a story as that 1 had to tell ? The
oaly excuse that I could urge, of pri-
rate friendship and confidence in the
he matter only the worse. Clearly, at
he same time that ! told the circum-
stance to the directors, l should be
bound to place my resignation in their
lands, to be put into force if they
hought fit. And there could be little
loubt but that they would accept it.
How damaging, too, the story would be
o me, when | tried to obtain another
I had promised to take my wife and
children for an excursion down IT,
liver, as soon as the bank closed, al.
he youngsters eagerly reminded me
# my promise. replied so savagely
md sternly, that the children made off
n tears my wife, coming to see what
vas the matter, Jared little better. /
must have had n sunstroke or some
hing, she told me, and brought ban
lagos and eau de Cologne. ! flung
hem away in a rage, and went ont of
he house. l must be doing something,
felt, and I hailed cab and drove to
lodgings.
Mr.. Thrapstow wasn't coming home
hat night, his landlady told me. She
hought he was away for little launt
'ut she didn't know. He occupied the
.round-floor of small housein Eccles-
ord street, Pimlico-two rooms open
ng into each other. ] told the woman
hat ] would sit down and write q letter.
'he knew me well enough, as / had
visited Thrapstow, and she
eft me to myself. Then / began to
everything, to try to find ont
ONE clue to his whereabouts. A few
etters were on the chimney-piece
hey were only circulars from trades
len. In the fireplace was a consider ]
BILE quantity of charres tinder. He
ad evidently been burning papers re-
emily, and quantity of them. /
urned the tinder carefully over, spread
ng it out upon a newspaper. ! found
othing legible except one little scrap
+ paper, which the fire had not alto {
ether reduced to powder, on which /
aw the name Isabel shining with I
letallic lustre. Then ] went 10 the
edroom, and searched that. Here,
90, were evident preparations for !
light coats and other garments thrown
astly into the cupboards, boxes turned s
ut, an odd glove or two laying up q
n the dressing-table. 1 carefully