lance."

"Add that column, young lady!" He indicated the column with the plunging
pressure of a stubby digit, and stood so close to her, while she toiled
up the line of figures, that his breath fanned her hair.

Vaniman looked on, sympathizing, feeling sure that the bluff inquisitor
had made a mistake of his own.

Her confusion under Starr's baleful espionage sent her wits scattering.
She jotted down the total, as she made it.

"Wrong!" announced the examiner. "And your figures are different, even,
from the wrong total you have on the books. Try again."

She set her lips and controlled her emotions and went over the work once
more.

Starr exhibited figures which he had jotted on a bit of paper that he
had palmed. "You're right, as the figures stand! But your book total
doesn't agree with those figures. Now what say?"

Vona was distinctly in no condition to say anything sensible; she stared
from the figures to Starr, showing utter amazement, and then she mutely
appealed to the cashier.

"I'm sure that Miss Harnden is remarkably accurate in her work, Mr.
Starr," asserted the young man. "I have been in the habit of going over
it, myself, and I have found no errors."

"Oh, you go over it, do you? That's good!" But Starr's tone was not one
of satisfied indorsement. He picked up the big book and carried it to
the center table. He fished from his waistcoat pocket a small reading
glass, unfolded the lenses, and studied the page. He turned other pages
and performed the same minute inspection. Then he took the ledger to the
window and held page after page against the glass, propping the book in
his big hands.

When he turned, Vona was sitting in a chair, trembling, tears in her
eyes, apprehension ridging her face.

"Cashier Vaniman, I don't want to hurt this young lady's feelings any
more than I have. There's no sense in blaming her until I understand the
which and the why of this thing. I have found column after column added
wrongly. Perhaps she has done her work, originally, all right. But the
pages of this ledger are pretty well speckled with erasures. The two of
you will have to thresh it out between yourselves. I'm looking to you
as the responsible party in this bank, Vaniman. I'll do the rest of my
talking to you. After you have found out what the trouble is you must
explain to me."

"There can be no trouble with our books!" But the cashier stammered; his
incredulity would not permit him to discuss the matter