body
should be allowed to exist in these days! The Town Trustees are
responsible to nobody. They elect themselves. That is to say, if one
dies, the surviving two elect his successor. They are not bound to
render accounts to anyone; the Corporation, of which they are a
permanent committee, only know what they choose to tell. This has gone
on for at least three centuries. It may have served some good purpose at
some period, under men of strict probity, but, in my opinion, based on
such experience as I have been able to command, it has of late years led
to nothing but secret peculation, jobbery and knavery. As regards my own
position, it has simply been that I have never at any time been
permitted to see any accounts other than those placed before me by the
Town Trustees. My belief is that no one but themselves actually knows
what the financial condition of the town really is. I am of impression
that this Corporation, as a Corporation, is bankrupt!"

There now arose a murmur in court which the Chairman and officials found
it difficult to suppress. But curiosity prevailed over excitement, and
the silence was deep enough when Meeking got in his next question.

"You affirm all this in face of the recent inquiry?"

"I do--and strongly! The accounts shown at the recent inquiry were all
carefully manipulated, arranged, cooked by the Town Trustees. I had
nothing to do with them. They were prepared by the Town Trustees,
chiefly, I imagine, by Mallett and Coppinger, with Crood's approval and
consent. They were never shown to me. In short, my position has been
this, simply, I have had certain accounts placed before me by the Town
Trustees with the curt intimation that my sole duty was to see that the
merely arithmetical features were correct and to sign them as
accountant."

"Could you not have made a statement to this effect at the inquiry?"

"I could not!"

"Why, now?"

"Because I could not have produced the books and papers. All the books
and papers to which I have ever had access are merely such things as
rate books and so on--the sort of things that can't be concealed. But
the really important books and papers, showing the real state of things,
are in the possession of Mallett and Coppinger, who, with Crood, have
never allowed anybody to see them. If I could have had those things
brought before the inspector, I could have proved something. But I
couldn't bring them before a court of inquiry like that. You can bring
the