They went to the bank and relieved Britt.

“Go get your breakfast and come back here as soon as you can,” Starr commanded, plunging into matters with the air of the sole captain of the craft.  “And call a meeting of the directors.”

The examiner had brought a brief-case along with him from the tavern.  He pulled out a card.  Britt winced when he saw what was printed on the card.

THIS BANK CLOSED

pending examination of resources and liabilities and

auditing of accounts.  Per order STATE BANK EXAMINERS.

Mr. Starr ordered Britt to tack that card on the outer door.

“Isn’t there any other way but this?” asked the president.

“There’s nothing else to be done—­certainly not!  I’m afraid the institution is in a bad way, Britt.  You say you have been calling regular loans in order to build up a cash reserve—­and your cash isn’t in sight.  I reckon it means that the stockholders will be assessed the full hundred per cent of liability.”

He bolted the bank door behind the president.

“Now, Vaniman, did you find out anything sensible about those books, as far as you got last evening?”

“Only that the accounts seem to have been willfully tangled up.”

“Then we’ll let that part of the thing hang.  Get out letters to depositors, calling in all pass books.”

After Vaniman had set himself down to that task, Starr went about his business briskly.  He prepared telegrams and sent his charioteer to put them on the wire at Levant.  Those messages were intended to set in operation the state police, a firm of licensed auditors, the security company which had bonded the bank’s officials, the insurance corporation which guaranteed the Egypt Trust Company against loss by burglars.  Then Starr proceeded with the usual routine of examination as conducted when banks are going concerns.

For the next few days Egypt was on the map.

Ike Jones was obliged to put extra pungs on to his stage line for the accommodation of visitors who included accountants, newspaper reporters, insurance men, and security representatives.

Finally, so far as Starr’s concern was involved, the affairs of the Egypt Trust Company were shaken down into something like coherence.  The apparent errors in the books, when they had been checked by pass books and notes and securities, were resolved into a mere wanton effort to mix things up.

Mr. Starr took occasion to reassure Miss Harnden in regard to those books; during the investigation the girl had been working with Vaniman in the usual double-hitch arrangement which had prevailed before the day of the disaster.  The two plodded steadily, faithfully, silently, under the orders of the examiner.