“If he had slept soundly one month longer, he would have been ruined.  His favorite clerk was a wretch, a forger of matchless skill.  He instantly sent for a detective; and the next morning, when Justin Chevassat came as usual, he was arrested.  It was then thought that his crime was confined to this abortive attempt.  Not so.  A minute and careful examination of all the papers soon revealed other misdeeds.  Evidence was found, that, on the very next day after the day on which he had been appointed confidential clerk, he had stolen a thousand dollars, concealing his theft by a false entry.  Since that time not a week had passed without his laying hands on a more or less considerable sum; and all these thefts had been most ingeniously covered by such skilful imitations of other people’s signatures, that he had once been sick for a fortnight, and yet his substitute had never become aware of anything.  In fine, it appeared that the sum total of his defalcations amounted to some eighty thousand dollars.

“What had he done with all that money?  The magistrate before whom he was brought at once asked that question.  He replied that he had not a cent left.  His explanations and his excuses were the old story pleaded by all who put their hands into their neighbors’ pockets.

“To hear him, no one could be more innocent than he was, however guilty he might appear at first sight.  He was like one of those men who allow their little finger to be caught in a machine.  His only fault was the desire to speculate on ’Change.  Did not his employer speculate himself?  Having lost some money, and fearing to lose his place if he did not pay, the fatal thought had occurred to him to borrow from the strong box.  From that moment he had only cherished one thought,—­to restore what he had taken.  If he speculated anew, it was from extreme honesty, and because he constantly hoped to gain enough to make restitution.  But most extraordinary ill luck had pursued him; so that, seeing the deficit growing larger and larger, and overcome with remorse and terror, he had almost gone mad, and ceased to put any restraint upon himself.

“He laid great stress upon the fact that his whole eighty thousand dollars had been lost on ’Change, and that he would have looked upon himself as the meanest of rascals, if he had spent any part of it on his personal enjoyments.  Unfortunately the forged checks and drafts in his drawer destroyed the force of this plea.  Convinced that the sums he had thus obtained were not lost, the investigating magistrate suspected the parents of the accused.  He questioned them, and obtained sufficient evidence against them to justify their arrest.  But they could not be convicted at the trial, and had to be released.  Justin Chevassat, however, appeared at the assizes.