construction on it.
There is a good deal in that, you know."

Thereupon he began to fire away with his questions, and bit by bit drew
out the entire story of that one day's happening; now and then he would
go over some point and try to see if Dick would contradict himself, but
the result was always the same.

"You are a gilt-edged witness, Dick. You never changed your story a
particle. I think I have learned all I want now," the other said, in
conclusion.

"And what do you think, sir--was my later suspicion founded on anything
like fact, or did I allow my imagination to have too big a grip on me
when I peeped through that little hole and saw that look on his face?"
asked the boy.

The man smiled and shook his head.

"We have to keep our ideas pretty close, Dick. What I think I might not
like to say; only that you were far from being a fool when you allowed
yourself to think as you did. Time will tell. I will begin to lay my
plans, although days may go by, and I will vanish from this region
before I find the chance to carry out the last desperate part of my
little scheme. Thank you for all you have told me. It has helped me
very, very much, my boy."

Later on Dick saw the gentleman once more at work in the bank.

He acted his part to perfection, and not even the bookkeeper seemed to
have the slightest suspicion that Mr. Cheever could be anything other
than he claimed.

Of course, the fact that he had formerly been a bank examiner before
taking up his present profession of investigation made it easy for him
to play the game.

But it promised to be the easiest similar task the anxious bookkeeper
had ever gone through with; for at the end of the second day the
gentleman complimented him on his accurate accounts, and the bank on its
solvent condition; after which he was closeted with Mr. Gibbs and the
cashier in the president's room for an hour, came out, gravely shook
hands all around, and departed.

The bookkeeper heaved a mighty sigh of relief.

"That job's off my hands for six months or more," he said, with evident
satisfaction.

Dick could just catch the little chuckle that the receiving teller
allowed to escape him upon hearing this remark; but by no look did Mr.
Winslow betray his consciousness of a knowledge of the truth.

Things went on for two days just about as usual.

The failure of Archibald Graylock proved to be worse than was at first
supposed possible, and it was now declared that after th