from a gentleman he has suddenly turned
into a libertine, if I am any judge of features.

"I cannot begin to account for the great change in him; it mystifies me
quite as much as it did the store detectives and Mr. Conway, the
cashier. It is all terribly wrong--somehow--somewhere. If it were not
that I have been here so many years I would tender Mr. Armstrong my
resignation. I am not at all satisfied--and yet, yesterday, when Mr.
Armstrong called me into his private office and we had that long talk
about the business matters of the house, I felt that all would go well;
to-day he is like a different man--appears to have forgotten completely
all of the instructions he was so particular to give me. Yesterday he
said: 'We will go over the books and papers very carefully, you and I,
and see that every department is run as carefully and well as
heretofore. I should not like any one in the establishment to feel that
my taking possession will mean any change for them--save for the
better.'

"To-day he is as different as night from day; he does not know what he
wants; he seems all at sea over the simplest details which he ought to
be decidedly familiar with." His musings were suddenly cut short by an
immediate summons to return to the private office.

It was with some misgivings that he entered his employer's presence the
second time.

The bogus Mr. Armstrong was almost invisible from a cloud of smoke from
a freshly lighted Havana. He held the morning paper in his hand and was
perusing its columns with apparent avidity.

"Wright!" he cried, excitedly, "how much ready money do you suppose
there is in the safe of this shebang---hey?"

It took Mr. Wright almost a moment to recover his usual calm dignity and
make answer:

"Five thousand in cash, and there are negotiable notes amounting to
upward of forty thousand more."

"Are you sure of that?" queried Kendale, his excitement growing keener;
"how do you know?"

"You placed bills in my hands a few moments since which necessitated
conferring with Mr. Conway, the cashier, about meeting them."

"Well, hold on--don't pay out any bills to-day; I want to make use of
that money--two great opportunities here. Say!" he added in the next
breath, "do you know anything about sailing yachts and trotters?"

The question fairly staggered Mr. Wright, but he answered promptly:

"Nothing whatever, Mr. Armstrong. I have never taken any interest in
them; it would be out of place for a man