The man was not guilty, as far as the direct robbery was concerned; but there were many little acts of carelessness which he would prefer should not come to the ears of the directors. He had the favour of the Inspector certainly, but a bank robbery is a bank robbery, and the fact remained that five hundred pounds had been removed from a safe of which he held the key, and the safe showed no signs of violence. But George Chard had also had possession of the key at different times.
And the manager resolved inwardly that if suspicion fell on anyone, it would not be upon him. In his heart he probably believed that his subordinate was innocent, but in his heart he was also a coward.
“It is a deuce of a mess,” he observed presently, in a friendly tone, “but we must stick together.”
“Yes,” replied George, abstractedly.
“Our evidence,” the manager went on, watching the young man narrowly, “will have to tally.”
“What evidence?” asked poor George, whose mind was in a whirl.
“Any evidence we may have to give! There is bound to be an inquiry.”
“I will tell the truth,” cried the other. “I can do neither more nor less than that.”
The manager reflected. The telling of the truth meant possibly the telling of those certain acts of carelessness of which he was at that moment painfully conscious.
“That’s right!” he replied, amiably; “we must both tell the truth.”