J. J. Bell

“ You have lost more than you have made. To cover your losses, you have preyed on me and my business—”
“Proofs, proofs!” croaked Stormont.
“Better not insist on your damnation, Mr. Stormont! For years, also, you have accepted from foreign houses bribes and secret commissions. It took trouble, but I have unearthed the evidence. As for you, Mr. Lismore, there are entries in the books which—but why go into details? To me it is far worse than any bodily sickness, this late knowledge that you have cheated me all along. The money is nothing—less than nothing—to me. ”

“ Stormont sprang to his feet. “Be careful, Mr. Cran; I warn you to be careful! You love your business, and you know you cannot carry it on—”
“My business comes to an end at noon to-morrow! At that hour my lawyers will take charge, preparatory to winding up. They will pay you and Mr. Lismore the agreed three months' salaries.”
“But this is insufferable! We have served you for twenty years!”
“Yes,—but be seated, Mr. Stormont,—you have both served me for twenty years, and for many of those years I have regarded you as my right and left hands, and trusted you as such. ”

“ Because of that I pull my business to pieces rather than let you carry it on to your profit, and I leave you no penny of it to help to pay your wretched debts!”
“Lismore,” said Stormont with forced composure, “let us get out of this. Old age—”
“Better stay,” retorted Rufus, “to hear my final accusation, along with the one hope I can offer you of saving yourself from ruination. I accuse you both of conspiring to get rid of my nephew, though I cannot show precisely how you succeeded. Why you conspired is clear enough: you were afraid he would supersede you and have my fortune. ”