Chapter II.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 233, 17 December 1887, Page 3

Chapter 11.

Sunday morning, and three days later. A lovely day it was, the air redolent with the breath of spring flowers, even in that very unromantic suburb Emerald Hill. I sat by the open window ; my head aching dismally ; and my brain racked with worry. The Sabbath calm without, the beauty of the 'spring morning seemed but a mockery and aggravation of my trouble? for I could not appreciate them. What was the matter ? Only, alas ! a too common story. I was at the time I speak of resident manager, at a very youthful age, too, for such a position of a branch of the Bank of -, situated in the suburb of Melbourne above-mentioned. I, had always, I believe, been considered ( steady.' That is to say, I never drank to excess, never frequented billiardtables, rarely theatres, and up to within three months of the date of the Cup had never known what it was to gamble in any shape. It had chanced unfortunately for me that, during the month of August in that year, a youngster was sent to assist me from the head-office whom I shall call Gregory, and with whom I, most unluckily, became very intimate.- He was a frank, winning, most vivacious boy, brimful of life and spirits, a splendid cricketer, good sculler, the winner of seve:al cups at athletic sports meetings, and a favourite, moreover, with everybody in the head-office, from the general manager downward. Ah ! those cricket and rowing clubs. I fear they have much to answer for ! No doubt they are capital institutions, and very beneficial and necessary in many ways. But, oh ! if only their votaries would confine themselves to cricket and rowing, and not think it needful to spend so many evenings of every month in the year, after i club business ' is over, in visiting billiard and betting rooms, the benefits would be far more real. My young assistant had, unluckily for himself, because imbued at an early age with a love of horse-racing ; that is to say, betting on races, and, to make matters worse, had been very lucky. This may seem an anomaly. I think, however, most men of experience in such matters will agree with r e that had the lad met, with seveici.t '-csin his earliear bets the chances aus that he might have been disgusted,, rind altogether and, for ever abandoned the vice. But it had' 'been otherwise a Cup.' horse of- the .previous year, I think'Toryboy, -had landed ;him a winner -in -a jarge 'sunxfof a youngster ; arid mini wis h'te.tuin.,/' " - J . - : ■ , - But, to" recur to;- myself.- Before Gregbry had been a month under me at Emerald. Hill, h,e had,itrange to say, infected me to some extent with his love of betting. He had his Cup book, straightout and double and -treble 'efent bets with a variety of bookmakers ; and he introduced me to several of, the fraternity. I had begun very cautiously. I confined myself at "first to moderate wagers, such as, if all lost, would not seriqusly inconvenience me. But as the all exciting Cup day approached, and night after night-saw me at Tattersail's, I had begum" tcT lose YnyTieaqi ' a bit; and"geiung4nie~«oriety into {the society of a party were sweet* onExile; I {fruDgWfteaVily on ttiftV- qijadruped.,,., ,_: "7".",; ;■- r •% r !' ! 'And "to-morrow-, was' settling- day; That : W my tfojifrle!;;; For since th'fe' Thursday, v pfevi6uis 'and' tfre'^ittle', adventure with lh&runaW? mare,. I had;, so to speafy run amuck/ Qn f Friday- 1 was,; of courser conrMd-,tb; the; bank.' Burtjup insterit; is o\:fp£k c£m#jori Jh£ dayafter, -and j-.conlcf;j -.conlcf; :get B way, ' £ wa& -off ; to - Fleniington;^determined^to,| if. •po'ssi&'ei' 'retrieve infy/ fe^gfses* a (Of wire* , -It wasiftljh the^atpe .w&ateSFejr.il • fcriedtf fouhd myself b&ckm&iwnsthp&Sp&mqaffo revdfliwg dobertofi^a faith greateiUiainoiimtf ytm m* ©igsd mff^Mgi? Aid

desperate/ 1 sank? ,gfcillh d'eepep. I got 1 ] among a 'J>afty b"f4pprt§m^^h6 ? ktipW-j %c ; X6 t ,^e. X;b^^^r^^^ro%|fe!| gQod' /. mfflk* : iJ'M Oil; XW ...fiat.; -playing unlimited -iloo •: until -,4. Jrij the morning. -Tnen* at -last, sicjc ,hv mind and bod)r, asd frtter'^y asHatded '-: and disgusted at my Wncluct, I crawlecj homei .'•'.•.«-••'. j And ,now, how ~ was/ t/to \niee,t ' my liabilities ? " I had hitherto /rigidly abstained from tampering, to the value \ -of a penny even," with the funds Under my charge ; and I kept' my own small account, in accordance .with our, rules, at- another bank. But this account was already reduced to a 1 mere- nominal credit balance ; and, had I not, during my infatuation at cards on that wretched Saturday night and early Sunday morning, given cheques for nearly ;£Bo, which 1 knew would be dishonored on presentation. In addition to this, my betting book showed me that several gentlemen of the ring would be looking for me anxiously throughout that Monday, and expecting to receive altogether over from me. Where was it all to come from? My salary was but ; and here was a whole year's pay or nearly so, gone or pledged in advance ! I had no relatives to apply to, at least none in the colony. Gregory, who by the way had been recalled to the head office about a week before, was I suspected, in as bad a plight as myself. I had seen him for just an instant, on Cup day, after the big race was over ; and one glance at his face had been enough. There were moneylenders ! Yes, but I could never hope, without security ana unbacked by substantial friends, to borrow such a sum from them. And if I did, the high and accumulative rate of interest charged by these worthies would soon utterly swamp and ruin me. What was to be done ? Head office authorities would almost certainly hear of my dishonored cheques ; and I might possibly be arrested on them. I should probably lose my billet. And then came the archfiend to tempt me. Could I not ( borrow ' the money I wanted from some rich customer of the bank, and that without his sanction? It would be a very simple matter, only it had an ugly name, Forgery ! But it seemed my only hope ; and in desperation I resolved to try it. Closing my bedroom window, as if to shut out the Sabbath air, I descended to the rooms below and entered the banking apartment. How strange it all seemed ! For the first time in my residence there I entered that room in trepidation ! My very foosteps on the matting frightened me. A deathly stillness hung around and I peeped beneath desks and tables, as if half expecting to see a detective ! When at length with t.embling ringers, I opened the large safe and proceeded with my devilish business, I felt like a man ill with ague. This would never do. I must have some brandy, or I should never get through it. I kept a little always in the house, and in a few minutes had taken a stiff nobbier, and returned to my little bank parlour, now as it seemed, about to be turned into a very den of iniquity. Should I ever feel happy there again ? I got a bundle of old paid cheques out to select a signature from. Here was the one. Old , a large buyer of tallow and hides, had always a considerable current account balance, rarely asked for his passbook, and autograph was simplicity itself. With the aid of a little tracing paper the business was soon effected. ' Pay self or bearer three hundred pounds.' The signature and whole cheque looked so thoroughly genuine that I am sure John himself would have been staggered at it. And now for the cash. But stay, there was more to be done. There were the books. I had left the bank too much of a hurry on Saturday (in order to reach the course early) to balance things up before leaving, . My forgery must represent a debit ot that day, and appear, of course, hi ca£h-bbo,ks and ledger. I got the latter Volume out of . the safe, and opened at, the, account of Tnyvictim.- I took up a 'pen to > make the entry. Why .did I hesitate? What, at that critical "rnomeh't," .caused my guilty thoughts to .wander,' ajar from. the -scene of my - temptation, to the dusty roadside at Flpmihgton, to the vision of those gloriously dark" and sympathetic eyes ? Again 1 heard the pleading voice, 'Oh ! uncle, can't you "see that he's a gentleman ?' ' The hot flush of shame, of real shame this time, burned over cheek and brow. I thought how, in a few moments, my contemplated crime would put me for i ever beyond -the pale, would entitle me, morally at all events, even if I escaped dectection, to rank only among felony and convicts. No lon^er.any pretension to ' a gentleman !'.* Only a forger! It •shouldn't be. Please God, it shouldn't be ! - Anything were better than that.I, sank on my knees, 'to that blessed impulse, on the, coarse matting beneath nae* with head bowed over my ledger,. fttid prayed as I never prayed before.--And,,when. I, at , length' a"tose,;again, 1 {tore, in|;o " the ? smallest -, atoms the, dheque with the .counterfeits signature. 'I -balanced my - -Saturday's cash in accordance onty wtthYf^h'tful payments; ,3Jn(J , ihen ,t. closed )ip. the i.bftjce, f again,, • and. Went ottt.to^walk An the bright sunlighti already a Ivette^hiaft.' - '■>'<* \ .- ;w©uid wiitefthat -nigatdtQceachf of hiy., creditors,' make a^dleaiff b#<3asfrfcf it, 1 and; fejta^t^ooi} fea^fe^bn-' mg Monday wtailsl m weekly ibalah^: %q dftftiata&l slidaM Mtobswkf)vM' get thera^fe^ite^tftfe^^V^lief

rweranoufbols. c-fHUey'i^oukLseer itoWas th,eh( ori!y ; chance,^ ah 4 l Uv^tlld'^sUeirrily /scrje^'a^'pifich 1 utt'flt I'^M-tyiVfoJ: .',' 'T^at'p'git I slept yell;J_ Jj[ei(such humbled -next: morning, andyet^ii am sure, "infinitely th,e happier,- 'bet&u4cj I 'hac^been enabled to resist temptation. IlitVle thought what was in store. Calling' ai.9.o!clock,:at the „post.-6ffic& :for_. inbank letters, I was told there was a registered" <>ne to sign" for'; but ti?K being, of course, aimost a daily !occurencc, at first caused me no'txcitement. Two minutes later I was poring over an English letter having a deep black border. It was from my mother, announcing the death of my stepfather her second husband, who had left me And a draft for was enclosed. Thank God for all his mercies ! Reader, this little anecdote, an episode in the early life of a since prosperous man, is nearly told. I could • pad ' of course, and spin it out a bit. But is not my space limited ? And of course you can guess the rest ! Yes, I wedded those beausiful dark eyes. They are beamirg at me now as I write ; and never were they more sympathetic or enthralling in their bright story than when, on the eve of our marriage, under the willows of Yarra, I told her how I stood On the^ Brink.