Part 17 (1/2)

”I tell you it was taken from it before it left this office,” tartly returned Mr. Galloway. ”I have my reasons for the a.s.sertion. Did you see me put the bank-note into the letter?”

”Of course I did, sir. I was standing by when you did it: I remained by you after bringing you the note from this room.”

”I enclosed the note, and fastened down the envelope,” said Mr. Galloway, pointing the feather of his quill pen at each proposition. ”I did not seal it then, because looking at Mad Nance hindered me, and I went out, leaving the letter on Jenkins's desk, in your charge and Yorke's.”

”Yes, sir. I placed the letter in the rack in your room, immediately afterwards.”

”And, pray, what loose acquaintances did you and Yorke receive here that afternoon?”

”Not any,” replied Arthur. ”I do not know when the office has been so free from callers. No person whatever entered it, except my brother Hamish.”

”That's all nonsense,” said Mr. Galloway. ”You are getting to speak as incautiously as Yorke. How can you tell who came here when you were at college? Yorke would be alone, then.”

”No, Yorke was not,” Arthur was beginning. But he stopped suddenly and hesitated. He did not care to tell Mr. Galloway that Yorke had played truant all that afternoon. Mr. Galloway saw his hesitation, and did not like it.

”Come, what have you to conceal? You and Yorke held a levee here, I suppose? That's the fact. You had so many fellows in here, gossiping, that you don't know who may have meddled with the letter; and when you were off to college, they stayed on with Yorke.”

”No, sir. For one thing, I did not take the organ that afternoon. I went, as usual, but Mr. Williams was there himself, so I came back at once. I was only away about ten minutes.”

”And how many did you find with Yorke?”

”Yorke stepped out to speak to some one just before I went to college,” replied Arthur, obliged to allude to it, but determined to say as little as possible. ”Hamish was here, sir; you met him coming in as you were going out, and I got him to stay in the office till I returned.”

”Pretty doings!” retorted Mr. Galloway. ”Hindering the time of Mr. Hamish Channing, that you and Yorke may kick up your heels elsewhere! Nice trustworthy clerks, both of you!”

”I was obliged to go to college, sir,” said Arthur, in a tone of deprecation.

”Was Yorke obliged to go out?”

”I was back again very shortly, I a.s.sure you, sir,” said Arthur, pa.s.sing over the remark. ”And I did not leave the office again until you sent me to the post.”

”Stop!” said Mr. Galloway; ”let me clearly understand. As I went out, Hamish came in. Then, you say, Yorke went out; and you, to get to college, left Hamish keeping office! Did any one else come in besides Hamish?”

”Not any one. When I returned from college I inquired of Hamish who had called, and he said no one had called. Then Lady Augusta Yorke drove up, and Hamish went away with her. She was going to the missionary meeting.”

”And you persist in saying that no one came in, after that?”

”No one did come in, sir.”

”Very well. Send Yorke to me.”

Roland made his appearance, a pen behind his ear, and a ruler in his hand.

”More show than work!” sarcastically exclaimed Mr. Galloway. ”Now, sir, I have been questioning Mr. Arthur Channing about this unpleasant business, for I am determined to come to the bottom of it. I can get nothing satisfactory from him; so I must try what I can do with you. Have the goodness to tell me how you spent your time on Friday afternoon.”

”On Friday?--let's see,” began Roland, out of his wits with perplexity as to how he should conceal his afternoon's absence from Mr. Galloway. ”It's difficult to recollect what one does on one particular day more than another, sir.”

”Oh, indeed! Perhaps, to begin with, you can remember the circ.u.mstances of my enclosing the bank-note in the letter, I went into the other room to consult a 'Bradshaw'--”

”I remember that quite well, sir,” interrupted Roland. ”Channing fetched the bank-note from this room, and you put it into the envelope. It was just before we were all called to the window by Mad Nance.”

”After that?” pursued Mr. Galloway.

”After that? I think, sir, you went out after that, and Hamish Channing came in.”

”Who else came in?”

”I don't remember any one else,” answered Roland, wis.h.i.+ng some one would come in _then_, and stop the questioning. No such luck, however.

”How many people called in, while Channing was at college, and you were keeping office?” demanded Mr. Galloway.

Roland fidgeted, first on one leg, then on the other. He felt that it must all come out. ”What a pa.s.sion he'll go into with me!” thought Roland. ”It is certain that no one can have touched the bank-note in this office, sir,” he said aloud. ”Those poor, half-starved postmen must have helped themselves to it.”

”When I ask for your opinion upon 'who has helped themselves to it,' it will be time enough to give it me,” returned Mr. Galloway, drily. ”I say that the money was taken from the letter before it left this office, when it was under the charge of you and Channing.”

”I hope you do not suspect us of taking it, sir!” said Roland, going into a heat.

”I suspect that you have been guilty of negligence in some way, Mr. Roland. Could the bank-note drop out of the letter of itself?”

”I suppose it could not, sir.”

”Good! Then it is my business to ascertain, if I can, how it did get out of it. You have not answered my question. Who came into this office, while Channing was at the cathedral, on Friday afternoon?”

”I declare n.o.body ever had such luck as I,” burst forth Roland, in a tone half comic, half defiant, as he felt he must make a merit of necessity, and confess. ”If I get into the smallest sc.r.a.pe in the world, it is safe to come out. The fact is, sir, I was not here, last Friday afternoon, during Channing's hour for college.”

”What! not at all?” exclaimed Mr. Galloway, who had not suspected that Yorke was absent so long.

”As I say, it's my luck to be found out!” grumbled Roland. ”I can't lift a finger to-day, if it ought not to be lifted, but it is known to-morrow. I saw one of my chums going past the end of the street, sir, and I ran after him. And I am sorry to say I was seduced into stopping out with him longer than I ought to have done.”

Mr. Galloway stared at Roland. ”At what time did you go out?” he asked.

”Just after you did, sir. The bell was going for college.”

”And pray what time did you come in again?”

”Well, sir, you saw me come in. It was getting on for five o'clock.”

”Do you mean to say you had not been in at all, between those hours!”

”It was Knivett's fault,” grumbled Roland. ”He kept me.”

Mr. Galloway sat drumming on his desk, apparently gazing at Roland; in reality thinking. To hear that Mr. Roland Yorke had taken French leave for nearly a whole afternoon, just on the especial afternoon that he ought not to have taken it--Jenkins being away--did not surprise him in the least; it was very much in the line of the Yorkes to do so. To scold or punish Roland for it, would have been productive of little good, since he was sure to do it again the very next time the temptation offered itself. Failing temptation, he would remain at his post steadily enough. No; it was not Roland's escapade that Mr. Galloway was considering; but the very narrow radius that the affair of the letter appeared to be drawing itself into. If Roland was absent, he could not have had half the town in, to chatter; and if Arthur Channing a.s.serted that none had been in, Mr. Galloway could give credence to Arthur. But then--how had the money disappeared? Who had taken it?

”Channing!” he called out, loudly and sharply.

Arthur, who was preparing to attend the cathedral, for the bell had rung out, hastened in.