Then there came a day, just after the close of Allison’s school year, that carried dismay to the hearts of all of the banker’s friends. He dropped senseless in his office just before the closing of the bank, and was borne to his home paralyzed and speechless. Eminent physicians were summoned, and every known remedy employed for his relief. His debility was purely physical, however—his mental faculties appearing to be as keen as ever.
Meantime, John Hubbard assumed the control of affairs at the bank, though, of course, under the authority of Mr. Brewster, and now Gerald began to realize that the tentacles of this human octopus were beginning to close around both himself and his employer.
From time to time the expert would call his attention to the fact that there were mistakes in his work. He could never account for these errors—he could have sworn that his work had been correctly done; but upon reviewing it, he was forced to confess that appearances were against him.
“You’ll have to be more careful, Winchester,” Mr. Hubbard sternly remarked to him one day in December, when, for the third time, he pointed out to him some discrepancies; “this kind of thing has been going on too long altogether; I have been looking back over some of Mr. Brewster’s private accounts, and I find numerous errors covering more than a year. If the man were well, I should disclose the fact to him and have you instantly discharged.”
Gerald flushed crimson. He could have taken his oath that he had never made an error in his work—at least, an uncorrected one.
“Mr. Brewster has never complained,” he began, when his companion curtly interrupted him with the trite remark:
“Figures don’t lie, young man.”
“Figures have been made to lie,” was on the tip of Gerald’s tongue as he darted a suspicious look at his companion; but he resolutely closed his lips and made no response.
But a little later, while John Hubbard was at luncheon and he was left alone in the office, he proceeded to examine some of these criticized accounts, and was almost paralyzed upon discovering how his books appeared to compromise him.
There were evidences that some one had been critically examining them, for there were frequent marginal notes, while the balance seemed to show that he had been cleverly and systematically robbing his employer for a long time.