se apparently innocent words on Mr. Temple was
startling. He sprang to his feet and brought down his clenched fist on
the table with a vehemence that made young Mr. Brown jump. "What do you
mean, sir?" he cried, sternly. "What do you mean by saying such a
thing?"

"Why, I--I--I--mean----" stammered Brown, but he could get no further. He
thought the old man had suddenly gone crazy. He glared across the
library table at Brown as if the next instant he would spring at his
throat. Then the haggard look came into his face again, he passed his
hand across his brow, and sank into his chair with a groan.

"My dear sir," said Brown, approaching him, "what is the matter? Is
there anything I can----"

"Sit down, please," answered the banker, melancholy. "You will excuse
me I hope, I am very much troubled. I did not intend to speak of it,
but some explanation is due to you. A month from now, if you are the
kind of man that most of your fellows are, you will not wish to marry
my daughter. There is every chance that at that time the doors of my
bank will be closed."

"You astonish me, sir. I thought----"

"Yes, and so every one thinks. I have seldom in my life trusted the
wrong man, but this time I have done so, and the one mistake seems
likely to obliterate all that I have succeeded in doing in a life of
hard work."

"If I can be of any financial assistance I will be glad to help you."

"How much?"

"Well, I don't know--50,000 dollars perhaps or----"

"I must have 250,000 dollars before the end of this month."

"Two hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Yes, sir. William L. Staples, the cashier of our bank, is now in
Canada with half a million of the bank funds. No one knows it but
myself and one or two of the directors. It is generally supposed that
he has gone to Washington on a vacation."

"But can't you put detectives on his track?"

"Certainly. Then the theft would be made public at once. The papers
would be full of it. There might be a run on the bank, and we would
have to close the doors the next day. To put the detectives on his
track would merely mean bringing disaster on our own heads. Staples is
quite safe, and he knows it. Thanks to an idiotic international
arrangement he is as free from danger of arrest in Canada as you are
here. It is impossible to extradite him for stealing."

"But I think there is a law against bringing stolen money into Canada."

"Perhaps there is. It would not help us at the present mom