Chapter 39

IN WHICH PHIL LOOKS INTO THE OPERATIONS OF THE JUNIOR PARTNER.

As I went up the stairs, I did not see how Mr. Whippleton was to sail a party in his yacht on the lake, and still explain to me the difficulty about the books of the firm. But then, what had been so mysterious in the ways of the junior partner was now becoming more tangible. In solving the problem of the invoices, all the rest of the trouble seemed to be unravelled. Mr. Ben Waterford intimated that Mr. Whippleton was to sail his boat with a party on the lake within an hour or two. Perhaps he intended to complete his great purchase before that time.

I did not believe that he expected anything of the kind, however. I found myself very suspicious of Mr. Charles Whippleton. He had plundered the firm of a large sum of money, and it looked now as though he intended to enlarge his operations in this direction, rather than make good the deficit. I found it impossible to escape the responsibility of my position, and it pressed heavily upon me.

"Well, young man," said Mr. Collingsby, as I entered the chamber, where he was seated.

"Mr. Whippleton sent me to see you in regard to a transaction he wishes to complete this forenoon," I replied, producing my papers.

"Why didn't he come himself?"

I could not help thinking there was a great deal of force in this question, and it strengthened some vague resolves in my mind.

"I don't know, sir. He told me to show you this list of lumber, with prices," I continued, explaining more fully the errand upon which I had been sent.

"He should have come himself," added the senior partner, with a frown. "What is the balance in the bank?"

"About six thousand dollars," I replied, handing him the memorandum I had made.

"It ought to be thirty, if not fifty thousand. Don't you make any collections now?"

"Yes, sir; about the same as usual."

"There is something very strange in the business. I am asked to furnish twenty thousand dollars outside of the capital I have already invested in the firm. Tell Mr. Whippleton to come and see me immediately."

"I will, sir;" and I turned to go.

"Stop a minute, young man. What's your name?" interposed the senior.

"Philip, sir."

"Do you keep the books now, Mr. Philips?"

My dignified uncle did not even know my name, and had made a mistake which I did not think it necessary to correct, since he took so little interest in the matter.

"I do most of the work now, sir, on them," I replied.

"Have you any list of debts due the concern?"

"No, sir: there is none at the counting-room."

"It seems to me that proper attention is not given to the matter of credits and collections. We should have a much larger balance in the bank."

"Shall I tell Mr. Whippleton you wish to see him?" I replied, edging towards the door.

"Can you answer my question, Mr. Philips?" demanded the senior, sternly.

"I cannot, sir; Mr. Whippleton has charge of the finances. When credits have been given, they have been on time notes, which are paid as they mature," I answered.

"We had thirty thousand surplus capital on the first of January."

"Mr. Whippleton has laid in a large stock of lumber."

"And now wishes to increase it, after the best business of the year is over. I don't understand it."

"Nor I, sir."

"You don't?"

"No, sir; and since you have spoken to me about the matter, I wish to add that I think something is wrong."

"What do you mean, Mr. Philips?"

"I suppose I ought not to meddle with what does not concern me."

"Does not concern you! Are you not employed by the firm?"

"Yes, sir; but what the members of the firm do with their capital does not concern me."

"You said you thought something was wrong, Mr. Philips. What do you mean by that?"

"I made out a trial balance for the business of the last six months. Mr. Whippleton destroyed it."

I felt that I was doing my duty, and as briefly as I could, I told the whole story about the invoices. I saw that the senior partner was startled. And he understood where his balance was.

"Why didn't you speak to me of this before, Mr. Philips?"

"I have always talked with Mr. Whippleton about the books and the business. I did not feel at liberty to speak to you about it."

"You ought to have done so."

"Perhaps I ought, sir; but it was a very delicate matter, and Mr. Whippleton says now that it is all right. Perhaps it is, sir; I don't know. I only say I don't understand it."

"Neither do I. Something shall be done at once. Where are those invoices which you think are fictitious ones?"

"On file, sir."

"Send them to me at once. Stop. I will go to the counting-room myself," he continued, beginning to be excited, as he rose from his easy-chair.

"They have never been entered in the lumber book, sir."

"What's the lumber book?"

I explained what it was.

"Send Mr. Faxon to me. Send the invoices by him," continued the senior. "Perhaps I can look into the matter better here than at the counting-room."

I wondered that he even knew who Mr. Faxon was. A man who had so little knowledge of his own business as Mr. Collingsby almost deserved to be cheated out of his property.

"What shall I say to Mr. Whippleton, sir?" I asked.

"Tell him we will not increase our stock at any rate," he replied, decidedly. "Do you think Mr. Whippleton has been using the firm's money for his own purposes, Mr. Philips?"

"That is not for me to say, sir. Mr. Whippleton has always been very kind to me, and I dislike to say anything about this business."

"But, Mr. Philips, you are employed by the firm, of which I am the senior member. I furnished nearly all the capital--that is, my father and I together."

"I know it, sir; and I felt it to be my duty to speak, or I should not have done so. Of course I have drawn a catastrophe upon myself by what I have done."

"What's that?"

"Mr. Whippleton will hate me, and discharge me at once. I wished to resign this morning, but he would not allow me to do so."

"I'm glad he did not. If I find you have been mistaken, I shall say nothing about the matter to him. Mr. Faxon and the invoices will soon answer me one way or the other. I asked you if you thought Mr. Whippleton had been using the firm's money for his own purposes. You did not answer me."

"I think he has, sir. He is engaged in a large land speculation with Mr. Waterford."

"Waterford!" exclaimed the dignified senior. "He is no better than a swindler."

"Indeed!" I exclaimed, recalling the fact that I had just seen the subject of this harsh epithet making an appointment with the beautiful daughter of Mr. Collingsby.

"Perhaps I know him better than others; but no matter about him."

"He is a very wealthy young man," I suggested.

"No; he made a good thing of one or two speculations, and may possibly have twenty or thirty thousand dollars, if he hasn't sunk it in some of his mad schemes. I was foolish enough to indorse one of his notes without security. He is an unprincipled man; and if Whippleton has been operating with him, I am not surprised that he is in trouble. Now go, Mr. Philips, and send Mr. Faxon, with the invoices."

I bowed myself out, and hastened back to the counting-room, where I found Mr. Whippleton waiting my return with feverish impatience.

"What have you been about, Phil?" he demanded.

"Talking with Mr. Collingsby. He declines to have the stock increased, and don't approve your proposition."

"He is an idiot!" exclaimed the junior, with a savage oath. "What were you talking about all this time, Phil?"

"I answered the questions he put to me, and stated your proposition fully."

Mr. Faxon came in opportunely at this moment to save me from a more searching examination, and took his place at the desk. The junior partner was evidently vexed and disconcerted. He looked at his watch, and walked back and forth very nervously. In a few moments he went out. I took the mysterious invoices from the file, enclosed them in an envelope, and delivered Mr. Collingsby's message to the head salesman. It was very evident that an explosion could not be long deferred. Mr. Faxon would be able to inform the senior partner that the lumber mentioned in the fictitious invoices had never been received in the yard. The Michigan Pine Company had an agency in the city, and it would be a very easy matter to verify the principal bill, if it were a genuine one.

Mr. Whippleton soon returned. He looked more cheerful and satisfied than when he went out; but as he came near me, I smelt his breath, and found that his new inspiration was whiskey. He immediately sent me to settle with a building firm who had made large purchases, though he usually attended to this portion of the business himself. I was absent about an hour. When I returned, the junior partner was not in the counting-room.

"Where is Mr. Whippleton?" I asked.

"He went out about five minutes ago," replied the entry clerk.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No; he drew a check, and left with that and a lot of other papers in his hand."

I took the check book from the safe, and found that he had drawn the entire balance, save a few dollars. I was alarmed. The crisis seemed to come sooner than I expected.

"What papers did he take?" I asked.

"I don't know what they were. He took a file from the safe, and looked it over for some time."

"Which file?"

"I don't know."

I went to the safe, and found that the notes receivable had been considerably deranged, for I had put them away with the nicest care. I satisfied myself that quite a number of them had been taken from the file. Mr. Whippleton was evidently raising a large sum of money. I placed the note book upon the table, and told the entry clerk to check off the notes as I read them. When we had finished this comparison, those not checked were the notes the junior had taken. They represented about thirty-two thousand dollars. At this moment he was, doubtless, raising the money on these notes.

What should I do? Mr. Whippleton was a villain! I concluded that he found it impossible to conceal his frauds much longer, and he was getting together all the money he could, in order to flee to some safer locality. He had persecuted his mother with a pertinacity which indicated a resolute purpose to do something. Now he had taken notes and cash to the amount of thirty-eight thousand dollars. I was no longer troubled with any scruples about exposing him, and I felt that I was hunting a villain.

I hastened with all speed to the house of Mr. Collingsby, and without waiting for the slow formalities of the ceremonious servant, I rushed up stairs to the chamber of the senior partner. I knocked, but I did not wait for a summons before I entered.

"I am glad you have come, Mr. Philips," said Mr. Collingsby. "You are entirely right. These invoices are fictitious. Mr. Faxon has been to the office of the Michigan Pine Company, and no such goods have been sold to our firm."

"I was pretty well satisfied on that point, sir; but the matter is worse than that. Mr. Whippleton has just checked out the entire balance in the bank, and taken away notes to the amount of thirty-two thousand dollars," I replied.

"The villain!" ejaculated Mr. Collingsby.