Part 22 (1/2)

”Oh, I beg your pardon, Mr. Hawker. I have only just come here, and did not know you. Porter, show Mr. Hawker in.”

They went into the formal bank parlour. There was the leather writing table, the sheet almanac, the iron safe, and all the weapons by which bankers war against mankind, as in all other sanctuaries of the kind.

Moreover, there was the commander-in-chief himself, sitting at the table. A bald, clever, gentlemanly-looking man, who bowed when they came in. ”Good day, Mr. Hawker. I am obliged to you for calling at last. We thought something was wrong. Mr. d.i.c.kson, I hope you are well.

Are you attending with Mr. Hawker, or are you come on private business?”

The attorney said--”I'm come at his request,” and relapsed into silence.

”Ah!” said the manager. ”I am, on the whole, glad that Mr. Hawker has brought a professional adviser with him. Though,” he added, laughing, ”it is putting me rather at a disadvantage, you know. Two to one,--eh?”

”Now, gentlemen, if you will be so good as to close the door carefully, and be seated, I will proceed to business, hoping that you will give me your best attention. About six or eight months ago,--let me be particular, though,” said he, referring to some papers,--”that is rather a loose way of beginning. Here it is. The fourth of September, last year--yes. On that day, Mr. Hawker, a cheque was presented at this bank, drawn 'in favour of bearer,' and signed in your name, for two hundred pounds, and cashed, the person who presented it being well known here.”

”Who?” interrupted Hawker.

”Excuse me, sir,” said the manager; ”allow me to come to that hereafter. You were about to say, I antic.i.p.ate, that you never drew a cheque 'on bearer' in your life? Quite true. That ought to have excited attention, but it did not till, a very few weeks ago, our head-clerk, casting his eye down your account, remarked on the peculiarity, and, on examining the cheque, was inclined to believe that it was not in your usual handwriting. He intended communicating with me, but was prevented for some days by my absence; and, in the meantime, another cheque, similar, but better imitated, was presented by the same person, and cashed, without the knowledge of the head-clerk. On the cheque coming into his hands, he reprimanded the cas.h.i.+er, and he and I, having more closely examined them, came to the conclusion that they were both forgeries. We immediately communicated with you, and, to our great surprise, received no answer either to our first or second application.

We, however, were not idle. We ascertained that we could lay our hands on the utterer of the cheques at any moment, and tried a third letter to you, which has been successful.”

”The two letters you speak of have never reached me, Mr. Rollox,” said Hawker. ”I started off on the receipt of yours this morning--the first I saw. I am sorry, sir, that the bank should lose money through me; but, by your own showing, sir, the fault lay with your own clerks.”

”I have never attempted to deny it, Mr. Hawker,” said the manager. ”But there are other matters to be considered. Before I go on, I wish to give you an opportunity of sending away your professional adviser, and continuing this conversation with me alone.”

They both turned and looked at the lawyer. He was sitting with his hands in his pockets, and one would have thought he was whistling, only no sound came. His face showed no signs of intelligence in any feature save his eyes, and they were expressive of the wildest and most unbounded astonishment.

”I have nothing to do in this matter, sir,” said Hawker, ”that I should not wish Mr. d.i.c.kson to hear. He is an honourable man, and I confide in him thoroughly.”

”So be it, then, Mr. Hawker,” said the manager. ”I have as high an opinion of my friend Mr. d.i.c.kson as you have; but I warn you, that some part of what will follow will touch you very unpleasantly.”

”I don't see how,” said Hawker; ”go on, if you please.”

”Will you be good enough to examine these two cheques, and say whether they are genuine or not?”

”I have only to look at the amount of this large one, to p.r.o.nounce it an impudent forgery,” said Hawker. ”I have not signed so large a cheque for many years. There was one last January twelvemonth of 400 pounds, for the land at Highcot, and that is the largest, I believe, I ever gave in my life.”

”There can be no doubt they are forgeries. Your sight, I believe, is too bad to swear easily to your own signature; but that is quite enough. Now, I have laid this case before our governor, Lord C----, and he went so far as to say that, under the painful circ.u.mstances of the case, if you were to refund the money, the bank might let the matter drop; but that, otherwise, it would be their most painful duty to prosecute.”

”I refund the money!” laughed Hawker; ”you are playing with me, sir.

Prosecute the dog; I will come and see him hung! Ha! ha!”

”It will be a terrible thing if we prosecute the utterer of these cheques,” said the manager.

”Why?” said Hawker. ”By-the-bye, you know who he is, don't you? Tell me who it is?”

”Your own son, Mr. Hawker,” said the manager, almost in a whisper.

Hawker rose and glared at them with such a look of deadly rage that they shrank from him appalled. Then, he tottered to the mantelpiece and leant against it, trying to untie his neckcloth with feeble, trembling fingers.

”Open your confounded window there, Rollox,” cried the lawyer, starting up. ”Where's the wine? Look sharp, man!”

Hawker waved to him impatiently to sit down, and then said, at first gasping for breath, but afterwards more quietly:

”Are you sure it was he that brought those cheques?”