James. [Very grimly] Out, I’m afraid, Cokeson.  The cheque-book remained in Mr. Walter’s pocket till he came back from Trenton on Tuesday morning.  In the face of this, Falder, do you still deny that you altered both cheque and counterfoil?

Falder.  No, sir—­no, Mr. How.  I did it, sir; I did it.

Cokeson. [Succumbing to his feelings] Dear, dear! what a thing to do!

Falder.  I wanted the money so badly, sir.  I didn’t know what I was doing.

Cokeson.  However such a thing could have come into your head!

Falder. [Grasping at the words] I can’t think, sir, really!  It was just a minute of madness.

James.  A long minute, Falder. [Tapping the counterfoil] Four days at least.

Falder.  Sir, I swear I didn’t know what I’d done till afterwards, and then I hadn’t the pluck.  Oh!  Sir, look over it!  I’ll pay the money back—­I will, I promise.

James.  Go into your room.

     Falder, with a swift imploring look, goes back into his room. 
     There is silence.

James.  About as bad a case as there could be.

Cokeson.  To break the law like that-in here!

Walter.  What’s to be done?

James.  Nothing for it.  Prosecute.

Walter.  It’s his first offence.

James. [Shaking his head] I’ve grave doubts of that.  Too neat a piece of swindling altogether.

Cokeson.  I shouldn’t be surprised if he was tempted.

James.  Life’s one long temptation, Cokeson.

Cokeson.  Ye-es, but I’m speaking of the flesh and the devil, Mr.
James.  There was a woman come to see him this morning.

Walter.  The woman we passed as we came in just now.  Is it his wife?

Cokeson.  No, no relation. [Restraining what in jollier
circumstances would have been a wink] A married person, though.

Walter.  How do you know?

Cokeson.  Brought her children. [Scandalised] There they were outside the office.

James.  A real bad egg.

Walter.  I should like to give him a chance.

James.  I can’t forgive him for the sneaky way he went to work—­ counting on our suspecting young Davis if the matter came to light.  It was the merest accident the cheque-book stayed in your pocket.

Walter.  It must have been the temptation of a moment.  He hadn’t time.

James.  A man doesn’t succumb like that in a moment, if he’s a clean mind and habits.  He’s rotten; got the eyes of a man who can’t keep his hands off when there’s money about.

Walter. [Dryly] We hadn’t noticed that before.

James. [Brushing the remark aside] I’ve seen lots of those fellows in my time.  No doing anything with them except to keep ’em out of harm’s way.  They’ve got a blind spat.