"
The books were brought, and he continued, turning the leaves, "It
seemed to me to show a shortage of nearly twenty thousand dollars
the other day. Why, it has been made up. How was that, Bennett?"
Bennett was speechless. "I will tell you," Craig proceeded
inexorably. "Bennett, you embezzled that money for your business.
Rather than be found out, you went to Billy McLoughlin and offered
to sell out the Reform campaign for money to replace it. With the
aid of the crook, Hanford, McLoughlin's tool, you worked out the
scheme to extort money from Travis by forged photographs. You knew
enough about Travis's house and library to frame up a robbery one
night when you were staying there with him. It was inside work, I
found, at a glance. Travis, I am sorry to have to tell you that
your confidence was misplaced. It was Bennett who robbed you and worse.
"But Cadwalader Brown, always close to his creature, Billy McLoughlin,
heard of it. To him it presented another idea.=20 To him it offered a
chance to overthrow a political enemy and a hated rival for Miss
Ashton's hand. Perhaps into the bargain it would disgust her with
politics, disillusion her, and shake her faith in what he believed
to be some of her 'radical' notions.
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