Page 57 - Lavender-B-8

‘We are safe from interruption here,’ he said; ‘sit down.’

We both sat down and looked at each other. I found no voice to speak.

‘You are one of Pinkerton’s men, I presume,’ he said.
1
He had gathered from my mysterious manner that I was a detective. I knew what he was
thinking, and it made me worse.

‘No, not from Pinkerton’s,’ I said, seeming
to imply that I came from a rival agency.

‘To tell the truth,’ I went on, as if I had been
prompted to lie about it, ‘I am not a detective
at all. I have come to open an account. I
intend to keep all my money in this bank.’

The manager looked relieved but still serious;
he concluded now that I was a son of Baron
Rothschild or a young Gould. 3
2

‘A large account, I suppose,’ he said.

‘Fairly large,’ I whispered. ‘I propose to
deposit fifty-six dollars now and fifty dollars a
month regularly.’

The manager got up and opened the door. He called to the accountant.

‘Mr. Montgomery,’ he said unkindly loud, ‘this gentleman is opening an account, he will
deposit fifty-six dollars. Good morning.’

I rose.

A big iron door stood open at the side of the room.

‘Good morning,’ I said, and stepped into the safe.

‘Come out,’ said the manager coldly, and showed me the other way.

I went up to the accountant’s wicket and poked the ball of money at him with a quick
convulsive movement as if I were doing a conjuring trick.

My face was ghastly pale.
convulsive: lacking steadiness or
‘Here,’ I said, ‘deposit it.’ The tone of the words seemed to regularity in movement
mean, ‘Let us do this painful thing while the fit is on us.’ conjuring trick: a trick in which
something is made to appear as
if by magic, often using a quick
He took the money and gave it to another clerk. movement of the hand
ghastly: causing great horror or
1 a detective agency
2 an influential banking dynasty from Frankfurt fear
3 a wealthy United States financier
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