"He treated me with a kindness and consideration which I never received from his partner; and I shall always thankfully remember that, whatever else in him I may desire to forget," I replied, smartly, for I was cut to the soul by the cold and harsh words and manner of Mr. Collingsby, after I had exposed the rascality of his partner. "No impudence, young man." "I should like to leave at once, sir." "You can't leave." "I think I can, sir." "If you do, I will send an officer after you. In my opinion, you and Whippleton have been altering the books to suit your own purposes." "It looks so, after I have called your attention to these invoices--don't it, sir?" I replied, with becoming indignation. "Why didn't you speak of them before, then?" "Because I was not sure that anything was wrong till last night." "Pray what did you discover last night?" asked the senior, with a palpable sneer. "I discovered that Mr. Whippleton was very anxious to raise a large sum of money. This morning I told him squarely what I thought he had been doing, but he promised to convince me that it was all right this afternoon. But in spite of all he said, I told you about the invoices this forenoon." "You didn't speak soon enough." "While you are reproaching me, Mr. Whippleton is raising money on the notes of the firm." "And you want to desert me!" "I do, when I am accused of being concerned in his frauds." "Perhaps I was hasty," added Mr. Collingsby, biting his lip. "I did not mean to say that you profited by his fraud." "I think he has exposed the whole thing," said Mr. Faxon. "We will consider this matter at another time. What's to be done?" "Go to the banks, the bankers, and the brokers, and find Mr. Whippleton," I replied. "Will you assist, Mr. Philips?" "I will; but I should like to go to St. Louis to-night." "We will see about that. Call a carriage for me, Mr. Faxon. Now, stop him, if you can. Have him arrested! The villain has swindled me out of seventy or eighty thousand dollars," continued Mr. Collingsby, bustling about the room, and apparently forgetting that he was a sick man. Sore as I felt about the reproaches which had been so unjustly heaped upon me, I was interested for the welfare of the firm. I ran all the way to the two banks where we did our business. I was too late. At the two Mr. Whippleton had discounted about twelve thousand dollars' worth of the paper. I heard of him at several banks and offices, and as the notes of Collingsby and Whippleton were as good as gold in the market, he had no difficulty in negotiating them. Though I could not follow him everywhere that he had been, I was satisfied that he had turned the notes into cash. I could not find him, and I went to the counting-room for instructions, for I expected to find the senior partner there. "Have you seen Mr. Whippleton, Robert?" I asked, when I found that the entry clerk was alone in the counting-room. "He was here half an hour ago." "Where is he now?"