and a customer of the bank; and I may say
that I had reached this conclusion yesterday evening, while listening to
the testimony of you three gentlemen, before I had discovered any
corroborative evidence. I will now give some of the additional points
which I have brought out since then; but I wish that you would first
tell me whether this signature is genuine," I said, pointing to
Alexander P. Drysdale's name on the note.

"Oh, yes; there is no doubt of that," said Mr. McGregor; "I am perfectly
familiar with his signature, and there is no question in my mind but
that he signed that himself."

"Well, gentlemen, I will now make up a possible case, and you can see
how nearly it compares with the present matter. I will suppose that a
man of wealth, refinement, and position, should become cramped for money
to supply present necessities; he is intimate with the officers of a
wealthy bank; he goes there one evening and is admitted by his friend,
the acting cashier. He explains his embarrassment, and his friend agrees
to lend him the amount which he requires. The friend completes his work,
puts away his books, and figures up the amount needed. The borrower has
a small balance to his credit, and he gives a note for the difference.
Then the teller opens the safe, brings out a roll of bills, and begins
to count out the amount. The safe door is left open, and the visitor
sees within the piles of bank-notes and the rouleaux of gold. A fortune
in cash is within his grasp with only a human life standing in his way;
his perplexities and embarrassments come upon him with added force as he
sees the means before him by which he may escape their power to annoy
him. Like Tantalus, dying of thirst with the water at his very lips,
this man gazes on the wealth piled up in that safe. Glancing around, he
sees his friend slowly counting the paltry hundreds he is to receive;
close by lies a heavy weapon, heretofore used for innocent business
purposes; another glance into the safe and insanity is upon him; his
brain is a perfect hell of contending passions; again the thought
flashes into his mind--'Only a life between me and that money.' He
seizes the heavy hammer and deals his victim a terrible blow behind the
ear; as the latter falls lifeless, the murderer strikes him twice more
to make sure that there shall be no witnesses to testify in the case.
The deed is done, and there remains nothing to prevent him from seizing
the contents of the safe. B