"I am glad you have come, Mr. Philips," said Mr. Collingsby. "You are entirely right. These invoices are fictitious. Mr. Faxon has been to the office of the Michigan Pine Company, and no such goods have been sold to our firm."
"I was pretty well satisfied on that point, sir; but the matter is worse than that. Mr. Whippleton has just checked out the entire balance in the bank, and taken away notes to the amount of thirty-two thousand dollars," I replied.
"The villain!" ejaculated Mr. Collingsby.
CHAPTER XIV.
IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
"You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
"I did the best I could, sir."
"No, you didn't. You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
"I was not sure that anything was wrong, sir. Mr. Whippleton said they were all right. When I found the invoices were missing, I spoke to him about them, and in about two weeks he brought them from his rooms."