UNDER SUSPICION
One thing struck Dick as singular.
As the bell rang that summoned him to the carpet in the cashier's office it seemed as though the eye of everyone of his associates was raised from the work that had employed their attention and was focussed upon him.
He even thought he could detect something akin to pity in these looks.
He walked steadily over to the door, pushed it open and entered the small compartment of the head official of the bank, under the president.
"Please close the door again, Richard," said Mr. Goodwyn, solemnly.
Why, it sounded like a funeral, and the cashier looked as though he might be taken for the chief mourner; as for Mr. Graylock, he sat there apparently wrought up to a high pitch of excitement, and drumming with his fingers on the table.
Dick gulped something down that seemed to be inclined to half strangle him, and then set his teeth together, resolved to put a brave face on it, no matter what difficulty might arise.
"Sit down here, Richard, where I can talk with you," continued Mr. Goodwyn.
The boy did as he was told, and looked calmly into the face of the cashier; if the other had anticipated discovering anything shifty in his manner he certainly received as great a surprise as at any time in his life.
"Richard, do you remember the day Mr. Graylock was in here, and I called you to ask about that Classon matter, which you explained quite satisfactorily—let me see, what day was it?" he said, turning to the eager merchant, who was devouring Dick with his eyes, and looking actually savage.
"Thursday of last week. I made a note of it naturally in my memorandum book, for I might wish to substantiate the occasion when I called for the securities again," replied the merchant, grimly.
Then it was about that packet after all; Dick had suspected something of the kind ever since he knew that Mr. Graylock seemed to be aroused over something, and had mentioned the word while standing in the doorway.
"Yes, sir, I remember," he replied, calmly, even while his heart was fluttering with an unknown dread.
"You also recall the fact that I handed you a packet, a buff envelope in fact, secured with a rubber band and requested you to immediately place it in the vault?"
"Yes, sir, I do," answered the boy, respectfully.
"Was this the package I gave you?" holding up the bulky envelope.
"It looks very much like it, sir."
"Take hold of it, Richard; tell me does it seem quite as full as when I first placed it in your hands?"
"I do not notice any difference, sir, though of course I paid little attention to the fact at the time," replied Dick.
"You went straight into the vault, because I can remember seeing you. Then my attention being attracted by something this gentleman was saying I turned my head away, and did not think of you again. Just how long do you think you were in there on that occasion, Richard?" continued the cashier, enunciating plainly, as if he wished to impress the seriousness of the occasion upon the consciousness of the one he addressed.
"I think not more than a few seconds, sir; only long enough to put the packet on the shelf where Mr. Payson would be sure to see it as soon as he came in, and place it in the inner safe."
"Yes, I remember, I explained to you that anything placed on that particular shelf was intended to be lodged in the fireproof safe when Mr. Winslow had it open. A few seconds, you say, Richard. I wish I could make sure of that, my boy," and he looked severely at the messenger.
"Did you see that packet again after that?" asked Mr. Graylock, taking a hand in the examination.
"No, sir. When I carried the books in at the close of business the shelf was empty, so I guessed Mr. Payson had put it away as soon as he returned from lunch."
"Oh! you noticed that, did you? Take pains to stick a pin in that, Mr. Goodwyn, please; the boy was enough interested in that particular packet to look and see if it was still there! Now, tell me just why you thought anything about it, boy?" exclaimed Mr. Graylock, scowling as he bent forward the better to stare into the face of the one under suspicion.
"I don't know why I should, but just happened to remember having placed it there. The books fit in a rack under that shelf. I suppose it was only natural for me to remember the incident, and give one look up there."
"Just so," said the cashier, slowly, as if trying to grasp the tangled ends to the mystery with which he so unexpectedly found himself confronted; "you appear to be wondering what all this means, and I will tell you. That buff envelope contained negotiable securities worth fully one hundred thousand dollars. I saw them with my own eyes and even handled them, putting them back with the other papers myself just before you were called in. I have taken this envelope out of the safe just now, and when Mr. Graylock scattered the contents on my table the securities were missing!"
So, that was what had happened, was it? and suspicion had already pointed its finger in the direction of the bank boy, simply because he had held the buff envelope in his hands a brief time!
Somehow, now that the worst was known, Dick did not feel anything like a tremor pass through his frame.
Strong in the consciousness of his own innocence he could not see where he had been at all to blame; they could certainly not accuse him of a misdemeanor on the strength of mere suspicion in the mind of Mr. Graylock, who had shown so plainly the strange and unreasonable dislike he bore Dick.
"I am sorry to hear that, sir; but I assure you that I know absolutely nothing about the matter. I placed the packet on the shelf; someone put it away a short time later, and I have not touched it since. That is all I can say, Mr. Goodwyn," he went on, with an expression on his young face that might either mean sincerity or brazen boldness, according to the way one chose to look at it.
"But no one saw you come out of the safe that day. You may have been there a full minute; that would be long enough to open the envelope, extract part of the contents and put the rest away—that is, if you were so minded," said Mr. Graylock, vindictively.
Dick grew very white, and a burning answer trembled on his tongue at this direct accusation, but he wisely held himself in restraint, remembering that under the circumstances the distracted merchant could hardly be blamed for what he was saying.
"Stop and look at the matter a minute, sir. It hardly seems reasonable that a green boy at the business should know all about negotiable securities, and take only such out of the envelope, leaving all others. In what way could I attempt to dispose of such things, since I have never been out of Riverview in all my life? If these papers have been stolen and are being offered for sale somewhere, it looks to me as though some pretty clever man must have done the stealing, instead of a bank boy."
The cashier looked interested at what he said.
"At least the boy talks sense, Graylock. If there is a leak in this bank we are bound to discover it in short order. You need not worry about it, sir, since you are protected by our assurance that we will do all in our power to recover your securities; and if it can be proven conclusively that any one in our employ took them the bank is bound to remunerate you, even though its resources be badly crippled in so doing. Mr. Gibbs is unfortunately away to-day, but I shall wire to him immediately. Until he comes nothing more can be done," he remarked, positively.
"And about this boy—what will you do?" asked the merchant, turning to frown at Dick, as though in spite of all he either could not or would not allow himself to get rid of the idea that the messenger knew something about the missing papers.
"Nothing just now. There is really no tangible evidence that he took the securities, sir; you must admit that it is only suspicion as yet with you?" returned the cashier, gloomily, gnawing at his upper lip nervously, and playing with his pencil by tapping it on the table.
"But he handled the packet, you admit?" declared Mr. Graylock, stubbornly.
"So did Mr. Payson, who declares he put it away on that day as soon as he returned from lunch; so did I right here before your eyes. I have been trying to recall the exact circumstances of that day, but I seem to be a little hazy, which, however, is not to be wondered at under the circumstances, for this thing has given me a terrible shock, sir. It will be your duty to have some one find the man who offered one of the stolen securities to your friend, and in that way discover the identity of the guilty person. I shall be sorry for him when found; Mr. Gibbs is a martinet when it comes to duty, and the one who took those papers will undoubtedly have occasion to repent behind the bars."
He looked at Dick as he said those last words, but the boy did not quail in the least, his calm eyes meeting those of the nervous cashier steadily.
"Innocent, or hardened, which," was what was passing through the mind of Mr. Goodwyn, as he noted this unflinching behavior of the suspected youth.
"Do you wish to ask me anything more, sir?"
"Are you in the habit of corresponding with anyone in Boston, Richard?"
"Not until a week ago, when a friend of mine who was in Florida the last time I heard from him wrote me from Boston. He addressed his letter to the bank because he said he understood from another fellow in Riverview he corresponded with that I was now employed here."
"Have you this letter?" continued the cashier, quietly.
Dick put his hand to his pocket and drew out an envelope, which he started to open, and then turned scarlet with mortification.
"I remember now that I was reading his letter again this morning while down near the river on an errand, a sudden gust of wind carried it out of my hand and over the fence. I had no time to hunt for it, and besides concluded it had blown into the river. But I kept the envelope to remember his address," he said.
Mr. Graylock laughed scornfully, almost triumphantly, Dick thought.
"Let me see that envelope, young man," he snarled, and having fairly snatched it out of Dick's hand he gave one glance and then held it up.
"Just what I thought! Look at that, will you, Mr. Goodwyn; up in the corner is this firm address: 'Cassidy and Prime, Stock Brokers, Boston!'"
The cashier took the envelope, and then said huskily:
"This begins to appear like a serious thing for you, Morrison. I really feel sorry for your mother. Sit down again; I am not yet through with you!"