PAID IN FULL

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21225, 23 September 1940, Page 3

PAID IN FULL

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by H. S. Sarbert

~u 111 u 111111 m 1111111111111111 ti: 111111:1111111 in CHAPTER Vlll.—(Continued.) The Truth At the same time. Carrie told her- ! self that it was altogether wrong of her father to have done this thing. ; He need not have brought Harry into i such a scheme. Harry was so young: I he had so little knowledge of the i world; he had all his career before ! him. By the time she had reached her ! own room again, Carrie’s eyes were j bright with tears. But they were not tears for Harry particularly. ' She was thinking of herself; of the • nuisance and inconvenience which \ had been caused her. She was al- ! ways like that—always thinking of i herself. Harry was impatient and angry ; at the commencement of his talk with Mr Wyman. He demanded to ; know why he should be treated in this way. But as he heard the I whole story his anger left him, and I he sat staring straight ahead of him, j his cheeks pale and sunken, horroi in his eyes. Mr Wyman had come armed with ] proofs. He had produced paper j after paper—estimates, receipts, de- I livery notes. And Harry had been I made to see the truth. There was ! no longer any room for doubt. “The most inferior materials that | could be got together were to be used. In no way would the build- ■ ings come up to specification,” Mr : Wyman declared. “Any compet- I ent surveyor would have found that \ out in a very short space of time. ; And then things would have been a 1 thousand times more serious than ! they are at the present time! You can take that from me.” “But I—l ” Mr Wyman tappped his fingers on ! the table. “You can see the truth, can’t you?” he asked. “You signed all sorts of ' papers—you admit that, Mr Preston, ' don't you?” “Why, yes,” Harry replied, “but I—I—” “You actually drew up the plans?” “Yes,” Harry said, “but they were passed ” “By whom?” “By Mr Lucas and Mr Preston.” Wyman nodded. “Precisely!” he said dryly. “By Lucas and Freeman—and where are they now? They can’t be got at, can j they? They’ve gone abroad, and no . one—not even Miss Lucas herself— | knows exactly when they are com- j ing back.” Beads of perspiration stood on ! Harry’s brow, and began to trickle down his cheeks. “But they’ll be found!” he stated. ! “They’ll come back! Oh, they couldn’t have planned this thing; i They couldn’t have done it. It’s ; almost suggesting they’ve knowing- j ly iet me in for this thing. But they—they are my friends. I’m going to marry Carrie Mr. Lucas will be my father-in-law. He’s al- j ways been kind and decent to me. [ It was he who fixed up for me to come to London; who gave me my great chance. I’m sure there is a mistake somewhere! That’s it—just a great, hideous mistake. It’s a nightmare that will pass!” He got up and began to pace the room, and Mr Wyman watched him 1 pityingly. He felt sorry for this youngster. There was no doubt whatever that he had been made the dupe; that he had been left to face i the music while the others got away. It was a bad business; mean, un- i demand, the very worst kind *of ■ swindle. But then, it was the sort i of thing that might be expected j from Lucas and Freeman.

“It occurs to me, young fellow,” j he said, in a more kindly tone, “that 1 it would have been far better if you ; had remained at home in your own j little village. You would have done ‘ ever so much better there. But it’s j no good talking about that just now. I We’ve got to get to the bottom of i this matter. You can see the truth of what I’ve told you, can’t you? These sums of money have been taken on false pretences, haven’t tney?” “Yes,” Harry whispered—it was no good beating about the bush. He had to make that admission, for it had all been made so clear to him. Mr Wyman made a quick exclamation. “Seven hundred and fifty pounds,” he announced. “That’s the sum. You must produce it within seven days from this date—so that it can be repaid to the depositors. That’s the only way. And the alternative ” “What is the alternative?” Harry asked. “You know only too well, young man! The alternative will be a prosecution—” “But they—they wouldn't let such a thing happen to me!” Harry whispered. “Oh, they—they couldn't leave me in the lurch—they just couldn’t. They’re my friends, I tell you; they’ve always been my friends. They wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen!” His friends! The tragedy of that remark! His friends! He had believed they were his friends—and now he was paying the penalty. Mr Wyman was essentially the business man, however. He did not wish to argue that point. “What, about the money?” he asked. “How soon can you get it?” “I can’t get it,” Harry repiled. “I haven’t any money at all.” “You’ve got a father, Mr Preston!”’ “Yes,'but he ” •'He's in business, isn’t he?” "Yes!” “Then you'd better get in touch with him!” "I can’t,” the young man stated, j “I can't do that.” “Mean you’ve quarrelled with him?” “No—not exactly that: but Dad nas already done so much for me. and he—he hasn’t a lot of spare capital, only the business. He has spent so much money on me as it is —on my education, giving me my chance in life. I couldn’t expect him to do any more. I couldn't ask him to do any more. Oh, surely you must understand that?” Mr Wyman gathered the papers together, put them away carefully, and then rose to his feet. (To be continued)