Oh, sir! Let me be eyes, and hand, and feet for
you if need be; and if it is not too late, I will save you from
impending ruin."
Wallingford took the old man's hand, and grasped it warmly as he
spoke. The Judge was moved by this earnest appeal, coming upon him
so unexpectedly; and not only moved, but startled and alarmed by the
tenor of what was said.
"The first thing," he remarked, after taking time to get his
thoughts clear, "if I accept of your friendly overtures, is for me
to lay before you everything just as it is, so that you can see
where I stand, and how I stand. Without this, your view of the case
would be partial, and your conclusions might not be right."
"That is unquestionably so," Wallingford replied. "And now, Judge,
if you wish my friendly aid, confide in me as you would a son or
brother. You will find me as true as steel."
A revelation succeeded that filled Mr. Wallingford with painful
astonishment. The endorsements of Judge Bigelow, on paper brought to
him by Dewey, and of which he took no memorandums, covered, no
doubt, from a hundred to a hundred and fifty thousand dollars! Then,
as to the affairs of the Clinton Bank, of which Judge Bigelow was
still the President, he felt a great deal of concern.
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