“Let me explain,” he said.
“By all means; that is what I want.”
“Only John, who had come in to make a call on me, and Gilbert had been here. One or the other must have been the thief. I therefore asked Gilbert to search John, and John to search Gilbert. It seemed to me fair. The result showed who was the thief.”
“Upon this, you discharged Gilbert, and engaged John.”
“Yes, sir. I needed a boy, and did not dare to employ Gilbert lest there should be further and more serious losses. John being present, and understanding the duties, I engaged him.”
“John is your cousin, is he not, Mr. Moore?” asked Mr. Sands, quietly.
“Yes, sir,” said the book-keeper, looking slightly embarrassed.
“It was very fortunate for him that he happened to be at the office on that particular morning.”
Here John thought it time to introduce himself into the conversation.
“That’s what Cousin Simon told me,” he said.