“I wonder if most firms would?” Bellair asked. “Men have lapses other than falling into thievery. At least a firm should look up the facts in the case first. It’s a rather serious thing to charge a man with departure with funds. For instance, the public will glance through the details of such a charge, and miss entirely a denial afterward. Are you under bond?”
“No, I don’t handle company funds——”
“Suppose you were—and one night you came to the end of your rope—found you couldn’t go back—found it was a life or death matter of your soul, whether you went back or not. Still you had some salary coming and say a thousand dollars’ surety. You took this amount exactly—salary and bond and interest to the dollar, and left a note saying so, in place of the amount; also a note releasing to your firm the amount of the bond and interest, and stating clearly the item of salary—I say, would you expect to find yourself charged with embezzlement in next day’s paper?”
Broadwell’s shoulders straightened.
“Not in next day’s paper,” he said, with a smile.
Bellair did not miss the cut of this.
“You think that my case was not like that exactly?” he asked.
“I can’t see why a firm would give such a story to the press—unless they uncovered a loss,” Broadwell said slowly.
“Lot & Company couldn’t have uncovered a loss without looking in the very place where my note was, which proved there was no loss. Lot & Company couldn’t have collected my bond without proceedings—unless they found my release of it. And the bond was collected.”
“Then I can’t see any reason for incriminating—any one,” said Broadwell.