The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-07

true"
What is true?"
AOh, never mind"
What did this reticence meanf He
had not told me all. that was OBJ
vious; and what he had not told he
disliked telling. was puzzled. The
thing must be serious to provoke
hesitation in a man of his stamp.
/ put few questions to him q
haphazard.
Did you ever see them again.
NO"
"And did it never occur to you -
feel any pity for those pooe
wr ches?"
ZIP" he cried, with start.
His excitement astonished me. Had
hit the mark? l said:
"Of course. But for you. thsy
might have stayed and faced the
music or at least gone off with their
pockets filed"
$50 you expect me to feel remorse
is that iti"
He struck the table with his clinch-
ed fist.
so, according to you, oHght to
feel remorsel"
"Ye l can call it remorse. or regret
feeling of some kind"
"A feeling of some kind for that
couple"
= whom you robbed Of
a fortune"
What fortune?"
well, those two or three bundles
of securities" :
Those two or three bundles Of
securities! robbed them of bundles
of securities, did 1? Part of theif
legacy? Is that what did? Is that
my crime? But. bless my soul, my
dear chap, haven't you guessed that
those securities were SO many for
gerics? Do you hear? They were for
geries"
/ looked at him dumbfounded.
What those four or FIVE millions
were forgeries?"
"Forgeries" he shouted, in his
rage; "forgcries! every scrap; the de-
bentures. the municipal loans. the
state funds; not worth the paper they
were printed onl Not sou. not .
single sou did get out of the whole
lott And you ask me to feel re-
morsel But it's they who ought to
feel remorscl They cheated me like
a common jayl They plucked me
like the meanest of their pigeons
and the stupidest"
He shook with perfectly genuine
anger, made up of personal resent
ment and wounded pride.
Don't you see that they had the
better of me from first to last. from
start to finish? Do you know what
part l played in the business. OF
rather what part they made me
play? I was Andrew Rawfordi Yes,
my dear fellow. and l was taken
completely inl l only learned Il
after reading the newspapers and
comparing certain details. While !
was posing as the benefactor, As the
gentleman who had risked his life
to save Imbert from the hooligans,
he was passing me off as one of the
Rawfordsl Isn't it admirable? That
eccentric who had his room on the
second floor. that shy man Whom
they pointed to at a distance was
Rawford. And Rawford was myself
And, thanks to me, thanks to DE
confidence which inspired under
the name of Rawford, the banks
granted loans and the solicitors
persuaded their clients to lend thear
money! What a school, what :
school for beginneri All. learned
a useful lesson there. assure youf"
He stopped suddenly. caught M
by the arm. and, in a tone of exas-
peration in which. nevertheless, !
was easy to perceive a certain sha4o
of mingled admiration and irony. ~
added this ineffable phrase:
my dear chap. at this momen4
Gervaise Imbert owes me 6fteen
hundred francsl"
This time could not help laugh
ing. 1t was really a splendid joke
and Arsene himself entered into the
spirit of it.
yes, my dear fellow. fifteen hun-
bred francsi Not only did not r.
ceive a sou Of. my salary, but she
borrowed fifteen hundred francs 81
mel The whole of the savings Of
my youth And do you know what
forf III give you a thousand
guesses.
For her eharitiesi I mean what
sayl For poor people wh,,'- she
pretended to be relieving. unknown
to Ludovicl And fell into the 'rsrl