Mr. Rawter laughed jovially: “Don’t you see? That’s just it. Individually, that is exactly the situation—but a big house—all its ramifications affected—and who’s to be responsible for Lot & Company as a whole?”
“It was Lot & Company that incriminated me,” said Bellair.
“I told Mr. Bellair——” Mr. Jabez began.
“Mr. Bellair had better come back to the House—that in itself is our acknowledgement,” interrupted his father. Evidently the son was not yet finished in training.
Bellair turned to Mr. Jabez, who explained the point of Bellair’s unwillingness to return. There was silence at this, as if it were entirely incomprehensible.
“Have you taken a position elsewhere in New York?” Mr. Nathan asked.
“No.”
“Are you going to?”
“On that—I cannot be sure.”
Mr. Rawter now arose and came forward, placing his arm across Bellair’s shoulder. The latter winced, but not physically. For an instant it had fired and fogged him. “Bellair, my boy, on the face of it—this that you ask would seem very simple,” he began. “I would ask it in your case, but think of us. By misunderstanding, we let out the fact that you had gone with funds not your own.... You were away. We looked for you everywhere before this happened——”