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If thou art rich, thou'rt poor; For, like an ass whose back with ingots bows, Thou bear'st thy heavy riches but a journey, And death unloads thee

Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

Poul-cank'ring rust the hidden treasure frets, But gold that's put to use ets

Venus and Adonis

1

Long afterward, many would remember those two days in the first week of October with vividness and anguish

It was on Tuesday of that week that old Ben Rosselli, president of First Mercantile Arandson of the bank's founder,and soment of the bank and far beyond And the next day, Wednesday, the bank's "flagship" don branch discovered the presence of a thief beginning a series of events which few could have foreseen, and ending in financial wreckage, huedy, and death

The bank president's ann ounce; remarkably, there were no advance leaks Ben Rosselli had telephoned a few of his senior executives early in thesome at home at breakfast, others soon after their arrival at work There were a few, too, ere not executives, siht of as his friends

To each, the e was the same: Please be in the Headquarters Tower boardroom at 11am

Now all except Ben were asseroups, waiting All were standing; no one chose to be first to pull a chair back froer than a squash court, which seated forty

A voice cut sharply across the talk "Who authorized that?"

Heads turned Roscoe Heyward, executive vice-president and comptroller, had addressed a white-coated waiter fro room Theinto glasses

Heyward, austere, o lylanced pointedly at his watch in a gesture which said clearly: Not only drinking, but this early Several who had been reaching out for the sherry withdrew their hands

"Mr Rosselli's instructions, sir," the waiter stated "And he especially ordered the best sherry"

A stocky figure, fashionably dressed in light gray, turned and said easily, "Whatever ti up the best"

Alex Vandervoort, blue-eyed and fair-haired with a touch of gray at the temples, was also an executive vice - president Genial and inforh decisiveness beneath The two ement echelon immediately below the presidency and, while each was seasoned and capable of co-operation, they were, inviewpoints, per each a retinue of supporters at lower levels

Now Alex took two glasses of sherry, passing one to Edwina D'Orsey, brunette and statuesque, FMA's ranking woman executive

Edwina saard glance toward her, disapproving Well, it ht Roscoe knew she was a loyalist in the Vandervoort calass

There was a moment's tension, then others followed the example

Roscoe Heyward's face tightened angrily He appeared about to say soed his mind