Willy Burke, or, The Irish orphan in America - Digital Repository ...

166 WILLY BUKKE; OR,
All eyes were now turned on Wilson, who came slowly
forward, as though the task before him was excessively
repugnant to his feelings.
" Gentlemen", said he, " I have been some years in your
employment, and have found you uniformly generous as
well as just ; it would ill become me, therefore, to remain
silent when I am conscious that I have it in my power to
do you a service. Some people may be induced, through
a false pity !" here he glanced at Dawson, " or some other
less excusable motive, to connive at guilt, and even attempt
to screen it from punishment ; but this I cannot do, and
I, therefore, tell you, though I regret the necessity which
compels me so to do, that Willy Burke is a far different
character from what you suppose him to be, and I have not
the least doubt but that he really took this money, whatever
he may have done with it. Hamilton, will you tell
the gentlemen what you saw him do to-day ?"
Hamilton then stated that he had chanced to be doing
something in a kind of recess which was nearly opposite
the office door, when he saw Willy Burke enter and close
it after him. In a few minutes he came out, and, after
having locked the door, he distinctly saw him put his
hand into the breast-pocket of his coat, as though to as-
certain the safety of something, and then, buttoning his
coat closely, he walked quickly away. " Of course", said
Hamilton, " I thought no more about the circumstance
till I heard of the missing parcel, when it occurred to mfr
at once".
" Now, I declare in the presence of God", said Willy,
his cheeks flushed with honest indignation, " and before
all the saints in heaven, that I do not remember to have
done as Mr. Hamilton says I did. I neither put my