The girl, also standing, had evidently been giving him a rapid sketch
of what had occurred, but now fell into silence when accuser and
accomplice appeared.
The advent of the Englishman was a godsend to the manager. He was too
courteous a gentleman to laugh in the face of a lady who very
seriously was relating a set of incidents which appealed to his sense
of humor, so the coming of the Lieutenant enabled him to switch off
his mirth on another subject, and in reply to the officer's cordial
"Good-morning, Mr. Morton," he replied:
"Why, Lieutenant, I'm delighted to see you. That was a very jolly song
you sang for us last night: I'll never forget it. What do you call it?
Whittington Fair?" And he laughed outright, as at a genial
recollection.
The Lieutenant blushed red as a girl, and stammered:
"Really, Mr. Morton, you know, that's not according to the rules of
evidence. When a fellow comes up for trial, previous convictions are
never allowed to be mentioned till after the sentence. Whiddicomb Fair
should not be held against me in the present crisis."
The manager chuckled gleefully. The cashier, when he saw how the land
lay, had quietly withdrawn, closing the door behind him.
"Well, Lieutenant, I think I must have this incident cabled to
Europe," said Morton, "so the effete nations of your continent may
know that a plain bank cashier isn't afraid to tackle the British
navy.
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