“Perhaps you have placed it somewhere else, and cannot recollect where,” remarked the clerk, who was apprehensive that Mr. Swartz would charge him with having stolen the money.

“No, I didn’t,” answered Mr. Swartz, “De monish vas put down on de top of the safe, for I remember putting it down here myself,” he added, pointing to the spot where the money had been.

“You had better search about before you make certain of that,” said the clerk.  “See if it is not in your pocket you may have placed it there, and at the same time believe that you placed it on your safe.”

“Mine Cot!” answered Mr. Swartz, “I tell you I put the package on de safe.  See here,” he continued, searching his pockets, and emptying them of whatever they contained.  “Don’t you see dat de monish is not in my pockets.  It vas on de safe und unless somebody removed it, it never could have gone away.”

“You should be certain, sir, before you insist that you placed it on the safe,” remarked the clerk.  “Look in the draw of your desk, it may have been placed there as well as any other place.”

With a gesture of impatience Mr. Swartz opened the drawers of the desk, and removing everything they contained searched carefully among the large number of papers for the missing package.  It was not there however, and turning to the clerk who was standing near by, he pointed to the table to indicate the fact of its absence among the papers he had taken from the drawers.

“I told you it vash not tere,” he remarked.  “Somebody has taken te monish, and, py Cot!  I vill find out who has got it.”

“Don’t be so hasty in your conclusions, sir,” said the clerk.  “Let us search the room carefully, and see whether it has not been mislaid by you.  It will never do,” he added, “to charge anybody with having taken the money, when it may be lying about the room.”

“Vere can it pe lying?” asked Mr. Swartz angrily.  “I tell you it vash on te safe, and tere ish no use looking any where else.”

“That maybe so, sir,” replied the clerk, “but if you will give me permission I will search the room well before you take any further steps in the matter.”

“You can look if you like,” observed Mr. Swartz, “but I know tere ish no chance of your finding it, and it ish only giving yourself trouble for noting.”

“Never do you mind that, sir,” the clerk answered.  “I am willing to take the trouble.”

Removing the books from the top of the safe he carefully shook them out, but the package was not among them.  He then replaced them and turned the safe round, with the hope that the money might have fallen under it.  The same success, however, attended him, and he was compelled to renew his efforts.  Everything in the room was removed without the package being found.  After a minute and diligent search he was compelled to give up the work in despair, and ceasing he stood trembling before Mr. Swartz, who, he momentarily expected, would charge him with having committed a theft.  But for this fear he would never have taken the trouble of upsetting and replacing everything in the room, but would have been perfectly satisfied for his employer to sustain the loss.