Weekly commercial herald., 1885-11-13


ysr, angrily. you'll not only be bank
rupt If you go on like this, but you'll be
fraudulent bankrupt as we'll Is it honest
] want to know. to refuse to pay your just
debts when you've put by thousands, as you
boast-you actually boast-for your grand
daughterl'
"Yes," said the old man, "Iris will have
thousands"
81 think, sir" said Lala Roy, 'that you
are under an illusion. Mr.. Emblem does
not possess any such savings or investments
as you imagine"
Then why does he go on talking about
thousands7'
He has had a shock; he cannot quite un-
derstand what has happened. You had bet
ter leave him for the present.
"Leave himl And nothing but these
mouldy old booksl Here, you, sir-you-
James-you shopman-come herel What is
the stock worthF
sit depends upon whether you are buying
or selling" said James. "If you were to sell
it under the hammer, in lots, it wouldn't
fetch a hundred pounus"
There, you hear-you hear, all Of you!
Not hundred pounds, and my bill of sale
is three-ffty"
'PraY. sir" said Lala Roy, "who told you
that Mr.. Emblem was SO wealthyg
'His grandson"
''Then, sir, perhaps it would be we'll to
question the grandson further. He may
know things of which we have heard moth
ing"
Mr.. Chalker went away at length, leaving
the man-the professional person-behind.
han V01o Dow Ia
go up stairs again. He did soGwithout any
apparent consciousness that there was a
man in possession. ee%ggGgga9s
James, said Lala Roy, "you have heard
that your master has been robbed You are
rejecting and meditating on this circum-
stance Another thing is that a creditor
mas threatened to sell off everything for
debt. Most likely, everything will be sold,
and the shop closed. You will, therefore,
lose the place you have had for flve-and-
twenty years. That is a very bad business
for you. You are unfortunate this morn
ing 10 loss your place-and then this rob-
berry. That seems also bad business"
"lt is" said James with hollow groan.
''It is, Mr.. Lala Roy. 1t is dreadful bad
business"
"Pray, Mr.. James," continued this man
with grave, searching eyes which made
sinners shake in their Shoes ''pray, why did
you run away, and where did you go after
you opened the shop this morning2 You
went4 to see Mr.. Emblem's grandson, did
you not?"
Yes, did. said James.
why did you go to see .him1"
II w-w-went-oh, Lord II went to tell
him what had happened, because he mas
ter's grands N, and l thought he ought to
know" said James
Did you tell himr'
"No; he has left his lodgings. l don't
know where he is-oh and he always told
me the shop was Unsettled on him." he
said.
'He is the Father of Lies; his end will be
confusion. Shame and confusion shall wait
upon all who have hearkened unto him or
worked with him, until they repent and
make atonement."
Don't, Mister Lala Roy-dont; you
frighten me-" said James. "Oh, what q
dreadful liar he isr'
All that morning the PHILOSOPHER sat in
the booksellers chair, and James in the
outer shop, felt that those deep ewes were
resting continually upon him, and knew
that bit by bit his secret would be drapged
out OF him If he could get UP and run
aWay-lf customer would come-if the
dark gentleman would 60 up stairs-if he
could think of something else But
none of these happened, and James
at his table with the paste b..
fore him, passed a morning com
pared with which any seat anywhere in
Furgatory would have been comfortable.
Presently strange feeling came over him.
as If some invisible force was pushing and
dragging him and forcing him to leave his
chair, and throw himself at the Philosophers
feet and confess everything This was the
mesmeric effect Of those reproachful ewes
fixed steadily upon him, And in the door
way, like some figure in a nightmare-a fig-
ure incongruous and out Of place-:he man
In possession sitting, passive and uncon-
cerned, with one eye on the street and the
other on the shop. Up stairs Mr.. Emblem
was sitting fast asleep; Joy had made him
sleepy; and Iris was at work among he,
pupils letters, compiling sums for the fruit
efer, making paper on comic sections ioc
the Cambridge man, and working out trigo-
nometrlcal equations for the young school
master, and her mini full of solemn exuIta-
tion and glory, for she was a woman who
was loved The other things troubled her
but little. Her grandfather would get back
his equilibrium of mind; the shop might be
shut up, but that mattered little. Arnold
and Lala Roy, and her grandfather ami
herself, would all live together, and she and
Arnold would work. The selfshness of
youth is really astonishing. Nothing-ex-
cept perhaps toothachs-can make a girl
unhappy who is loved and newly betrothed.
She may say what she pleases, and her face
may be yard long when she speaks Of the
misfortunes of others, but all the time her
heart is dancing.
To Lala Roy the situation presented a
problem with insufficient data, some of
which would have to be guessed. A letter,
now lost, said that certain case contained
papers necessary to obtain an unknown in
heritance for Iris. How, then, to ascertain
whether anybody was expecting or looking
for girl to claim an Inheritance? Then
there was half a coat-of-arms, and lastly
there was q certain Customer of unknown
name, who had been acquainted with Iris's
father before his marritye. So far for Iris.
AS for the thief, Lala Roy had no doubt at
all. 1t was, he was quito certain, the grand.
son, whose career he had watched for some
years with interest and curiosity. Who else
was there who would stesl the papers! And
who would help him, and give him free ac-
cess to the safe9 He did not only suspect.
he was certain that James was in some way
cognizant of the deed. Why else did he
turn SO palee Why did he rush off to Joe's
lodoinpsS VVhv did ha elf tran,hlino2