In several instances the intended victim proved shrewder than old
Simpson had counted upon, and the word 'Settled' had been written on
the line carrying the name when the exact number of instalments was
paid. But as these shrewd persons dropped out, others took their
places, and Simpson's dependence on their absent-mindedness seemed to
be justified in nine cases out of ten. His collectors were collecting
long after the debt had been paid. In Lord Semptam's case, the payment
had evidently become chronic, and the old man was giving away his
pound a week to the suave Macpherson two years after his debt had been
liquidated.
From the big volume I detached the loose leaf, dated 1893, which
recorded Lord Semptam's purchase of a carved table for fifty pounds,
and on which he had been paying a pound a week from that time to the
date of which I am writing, which was November, 1896. This single
document taken from the file of three years previous, was not likely
to be missed, as would have been the case if I had selected a current
sheet. I nevertheless made a copy of the names and addresses of
Macpherson's present clients; then, carefully placing everything
exactly as I had found it, I extinguished the gas, and went out of the
shop, locking the door behind me.
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