“Put our name on them while you are about it.”  And the young man wrote also the endorsement of the firm.

After this, Mr. Freeling put the bank business into Granger’s hands.  Nearly all checks were drawn and all business paper endorsed by the younger partner, who became the financier of the concern, and had the management of all negotiations for money in and out of bank.

One morning, shortly after the first of Mr. Dinneford’s notes was paid, Granger saw his mother-in-law come into the store.  Freeling was at the counter.  They talked together for some time, and then Mrs. Dinneford went out.

On the next day Granger saw Mrs. Dinneford in the store again.  After she had gone away, Freeling came back, and laying a note-of-hand on his partner’s desk, said, in a pleased, confidential way.

“Look at that, my friend.”

Granger read the face of the note with a start of surprise.  It was drawn to his order, for three thousand dollars, and bore the signature of Howard Dinneford.

“A thing that is worth having is worth asking for,” said Freeling.  “We obliged your mother-in-law, and now she has returned the favor.  It didn’t come very easily, she said, and your father-in-law isn’t feeling rather comfortable about it; so she doesn’t care about your speaking of it at home.”

Granger was confounded.

“I can’t understand it,” he said.

“You can understand that we have the note, and that it has come in the nick of time,” returned Freeling.

“Yes, I can see all that.”

“Well, don’t look a gift-horse in the mouth, but spring into the saddle and take a ride.  Your mother-in-law is a trump.  If she will, she will, you may depend on’t.”

Freeling was unusually excited.  Granger looked the note over and over in a way that seemed to annoy his partner, who said, presently, with a shade of ill-nature in his voice,

“What’s the matter?  Isn’t the signature all right?”

“That’s right enough,” returned the young man, “after looking at it closely.  “But I can’t understand it.”

“You will when you see the proceeds passed to our accounted in bank—­ha! ha!”

Granger looked up at his partner quickly, the laugh had so strange a sound, but saw nothing new in his face.

In about a month Freeling had in his possession another note, signed by Mr. Dinneford and drawn to the order of George Granger.  This one was for five thousand dollars.  He handed it to his partner soon after the latter had observed Mrs. Dinneford in the store.

A little over six weeks from this time Mrs. Dinneford was in the store again.  After she had gone away, Freeling handed Granger three more notes drawn by Mr. Dinneford to his order, amounting in all to fifteen thousand dollars.  They were at short dates.

Granger took these notes without any remark, and was about putting them in his desk, when Freeling said,