p. The next morning I called upon the old lady, and gave her the
receipt. The nurse thought she was better, and said she had slept very
well after I left her. Mrs. Whippleton told me she was willing to pay
my expenses to St. Louis, and I might take the money for the purpose
from the package.

CHAPTER XII.

IN WHICH PHIL VISITS THE HOUSE OF MR. COLLINGSBY, AND SEES MISS MARIAN.

I went to the counting-room at an early hour. My first care was to tie
up the valuable package, which I had brought with me, in thick paper,
and to seal it very carefully. I wrote my own name upon it, and then
placed it in one of the drawers of the safe, the key of which was kept
in the desk. I hoped to obtain permission, when Mr. Whippleton came to
the counting-room, to visit St. Louis, especially as business was not
as driving as usual. I did all my routine work, and the junior partner
had not arrived. I was not anxious to see him for any other purpose
than to obtain leave of absence. Indeed, the idea of meeting him was
very embarrassing. After what his mother had said, I was satisfied that
Mr. Whippleton had been using the funds of the firm in his own private
speculations. It was evident that he had appropriated no less a sum
than forty thousand dollars, which was represented by the fictitious
invoices. I did not believe that he intended to purloin the money, but
would replace it when his land speculations yielded their returns. Mr.
Collingsby never examined the books thoroughly, and was not likely to
discover the fraud. I knew all about it, and it suddenly flashed upon
my mind that it would be wrong for me to be a party to a concealment.

I was not employed by Mr. Whippleton alone, but by the firm. My
obligations were to both the partners; and though Mr. Collingsby never
took any notice of me, my duty to him was just as urgent as to the
junior. The thought startled me. My soul revolted at the idea of any
treachery to Mr. Whippleton, who had always been very kind to me. But
on the other hand, my moral sense revolted at the thought of concealing
his fraud. I was troubled by the situation.

Mrs. Whippleton did not believe that her son's enterprise in real
estate was a success. In her own words, he "had been bitten." It seemed
to me that, in the end, there must be a fearful explosion. As I had the
whole charge of the books now, I did not see how I could avoid any
complicity with the fraud. In fact, I had already discovered it. I felt