THE RECEIVING TELLER FREES HIS MIND
The day dragged its course along, but it seemed as though closing time
would never come to Dick.
He knew that Mr. Gibbs was busily engaged, and that he held several
talks with some one over the wire; the cashier looked solemn enough to
make people imagine he had lost some of his family, for this was a
serious piece of business with Mr. Goodwyn, and he felt it keenly,
perhaps more than Dick imagined.
The boy had determined that he would speak to Mr. Winslow about the
suspicion he was harboring, for he believed he was sure to find more or
less sympathy in that quarter, after hearing what the teller had thought
of Mr. Graylock.
As the other got away some time before his duties were done he thought
it best to approach him after the luncheon period--and a new rule had
been put in force now to the effect that one of the tellers must remain
in the bank all the time, so that business might not be interrupted--it
is easy to shut the stable door after the horse is stolen; but at least
by such an act a second robbery may be prevented.
"I would like to ask your opinion and advice about something, Mr.
Winslow, if I could see you somewhere after closing hours," Dick said,
coming up to the teller's window.
The other thought a few seconds, as though he might be wondering whether
it would be good policy for them to be seen conferring together; then he
nodded and said:
"Come around to the post-office. I sometimes drop in there to give
Stavers a lift with his books, as he is a poor hand at keeping accounts.
Glad to hear what you have to say, Dick. No more unexpected fortunes
dropping down out of the skies, eh?" for of course Dick had told the
others about the good luck that had befallen his mother, and even shown
them the lawyer's letter.
"Not that I know of; but then I haven't been home yet. Once these things
get to coming they say it never rains but it pours. We can stand all
that comes our way, I guess. Wait for me then at the post-office,
please. It is mighty important--to me anyway, sir."
The bank closed at three, but the tellers did not get away for another
hour, and sometimes Dick had to stay even later.
When he did finally get out he hastened to the centre of the town where
the post-office was located, and asked for Mr. Winslow, who speedily
appeared, he having been watching for the lad.
"Let us walk up this quiet street, Richard, and we can talk as we go.
Now, what is it you want to tell me, and in what way can I give you
advice? We are all more or less worried at the bank again because Mr.
Gibbs informed us that the government bank examiner may drop in on us
to-morrow on his regular tour of the financial institutions, though we
did not expect him for another month. Go on, Dick."
There was at least a promise of sympathy in the tone of the teller.
"Perhaps you will think me foolish to imagine such a thing, sir, but
somehow, if you had only seen his face that day you might have a little
suspicion too," he said, half hesitatingly.
"Meaning whom, Richard?" asked Mr. Winslow, encouragingly.
"Mr. Graylock, sir."
"And what day do you mean--the time he brought the securities over, and
it fell to your lot to place them in the vault?"
"Yes, sir. Mr. Hollister came into the bank to get a bill changed, and
there was no one to attend to him but Mr. Goodwyn, who had to come out
of his room for a minute and count out a lot of small change."
"Yes, yes, I see, leaving Graylock there during that time; go on,
Richard," said the teller, suddenly beginning to show signs of
excitement, as the idea Dick was advancing gradually began to take hold
on him.
"I don't know what caused me to do it, sir, and I suppose I should be
ashamed of yielding to the sudden impulse; but that man always
interested me strangely; why, in church I have sat and watched his face
working as he listened to the sermon, and could hardly take my eyes off
him. Anyhow, no matter, I confess that when I heard Mr. Goodwyn out in
the tellers' department speaking with the customer, I just stepped on my
tiptoes and put my eye to a little knothole in the partition."
"Yes, I'm following you, Richard; it was hardly the right thing to do,
but boys seldom think of such matters. You peeked through and
saw--what."
Mr. Winslow had by this time become so excited that he caught hold of
Dick's arm and actually gripped him as though he might be afraid the boy
would suddenly decamp, and leave his thrilling story but half told.
"I saw Mr. Graylock. He was standing up and buttoning his coat
nervously. I saw him turn his head and look around as though he fancied
he had heard a noise. Perhaps I did kick a book that was lying on the
floor; but he didn't look at that little knothole, only toward the door
that led to the outside office. Then he sat down again. I could see that
he was smiling as if pleased. Mr. Goodwyn came back just then, and I
moved away."
The two looked at each other for a moment without another word being
said.
Evidently the teller was allowing the information he had just received
to soak in, where he could turn it around and begin to grasp the true
significance of the incident.
"Dick, I believe, my boy, you have struck on the true secret of this
mysterious robbery," the teller exclaimed. "It seems almost unthinkable
that any man could descend so low as to plan such a diabolical thing,
and then try as best he could to throw it on the shoulders of an
innocent lad. If it turns out to be true nothing could be too severe a
punishment for that rascal!"
"Then you don't blame me for thinking such a thing, sir? I was afraid
you might laugh at me, or even worse, accuse me of inventing something
that could never have happened. Oh! if you could only have seen the look
on his face as he stood there buttoning his coat up, you would never
forget it. I have dreamed of him every night since, and always with that
terrible look in his eyes. But, Mr. Winslow, could a man do such a
thing? I never heard of any one robbing himself before."
"Ah! you have a good deal to learn yet, my boy. It would not be the
first time a clever and unscrupulous rascal laid a plan to have it
appear as though he had been robbed, so that he could profit from the
consequences. Mr. Graylock is in a bad box. His creditors are pushing
him hard, and I think that to-morrow his house will be in the hands of
the courts. He declares that he was holding those securities to prop up
his business at the last hour; but Mr. Goodwyn has admitted to me that
they would have been only a drop in the bucket; that the failure was
bound to come. Now you can see what object he would have in taking the
papers after they had been examined by the cashier; and in getting his
envelope hurriedly in the vault without its being looked into again."
"Yes, that is what I thought, though I hardly dared put it into words,
sir. You mean that when I saw him he was buttoning up his coat because
he had hurriedly taken those negotiable securities from the package and
thrust them in his pocket?" gasped Dick, trembling with the excitement.
"It could be easily done. Stop and consider, boy, almost immediately
afterward, as if he feared lest the cashier might want to look at the
contents of his packet again, he suggested that they be placed in the
safe, and it fell to you to do this part of the work. Immediately his
wicked mind must have conceived the idea of casting suspicion on you. In
that way he would kill two birds with one stone, satisfy his feeling of
vindictiveness toward you, and at the same time start suspicion in
another quarter. I have no doubt he had covered his tracks well, and if
one of his securities was offered for sale to a friend of his as he
claims, it was so arranged that it could never be traced as coming from
him. But even the most cunning of rogues usually overdo the thing. His
savage desire to place the blame on you instead of some one else in the
bank looks suspicious, and may be the rock on which he will founder."
"Oh! I can hardly believe such a terrible thing of any man; and yet,
sir, the more I think of that expression I saw on his face, while the
cashier was out of the booth, the more terrible it seems. But what can
you do to prove the truth? You could not accuse him of it openly? He
might have us put in jail for slandering him."
"I rather think we had better go a little slow, and see what turns up.
Graylock is certainly in a hard box just now, and I imagine in a
desperate frame of mind. Any man must be who would descend to play such
a scurvy trick, and see some innocent party suffer for his crime. What
does he care if your mother's heart were broken by the fact of her boy
being accused of this deed? Nothing. He is a cold-blooded old scoundrel,
and I hope that if it should turn out to be as we suspect, Mr. Gibbs
will have no mercy on him."
Mr. Winslow was certainly deeply aroused.
"I am so glad I made up my mind to tell you about this, sir. It first
struck me hard while I was talking to my mother last night," and Dick
related the incident.
They continued to talk as they walked along, and for half an hour
conferred as to many plans whereby the truth might be discovered.