"Possibly," said Cranston. "It might interest you to know my method, doctor. Many persons have wondered how I manage my affairs while I am away. It is very simple." He leaned against the box, and pointed upward, toward the second floor.
"When I leave here," he said, "the only luggage that I carry is a large, heavy portmanteau suitcase. I do not know whether I am going to the tropics or the frozen north. I buy the articles I need — trunks and all when I reach my destination. I dispose of them before I return, so I have no more baggage returning than going.
"My suitcase contains some pet objects, of course my favorite revolver, a few books, other articles that I am sure to need, and may not be able to obtain where I am going. More important, however, are my drafts and negotiable funds. I carry a supply of gold, of course. All that refers to my traveling affairs.
"But my affairs here in New York are so arranged that I can conduct them as I choose. My resources are very large. I have an old family lawyer — a lolling, stupid fellow — who is just the man I require. He knows nothing, except how to follow directions.
"If I make out checks and mail them to New York or elsewhere, they are honored as if I were here. I, alone, know where I keep my accounts. If I notify my lawyer to deliver securities or other valuables, he does as I tell him. Thus I can watch the rise and fall of the market, no matter where I am, and act accordingly."
"Then you really rely on no one," said Savette. "That is, upon no one but yourself?"
"No, indeed," corrected Cranston. "I sometimes write to friends. For instance, I might write to you and to Bartram, my lawyer, at the same time. My letter to you would request you to obtain one hundred shares of a certain stock from Bartram, to sell them on a certain day, and to deposit the money to my account in a certain bank."
"And Bartram would give me the stocks?"
"Certainly, when you identified yourself. My letter to him would verify that. He is just an office boy. I keep him" — Cranston laughed — "chiefly to be on hand to settle my estate if I should die while I am away."
"Remarkable!" exclaimed Savette.