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“No, I don’t,” said the inspector “Although it’s just possible that he could have saved his life But even Inspector Warould find that hard to prove”

The Rt Rev Ashley Tadworth, Bishop of Huddersfield, climbed the half-dozen steps and took his place in the pulpit, during the last verse of “Abide With Me”

He looked down at the packed congregation and waited until everyone was settled So in the aisles, while others, who’d arrived late, were craether at the back of the church It was a mark of the man

“Funerals are, naturally, sad events,” began the bishop “Even more so when the departed has achieved littletheir eulogy a difficult task That was not my problem when I prepared my address on the life, the exemplary life, of Cedric Arthur Hardcastle

“If you were to liken Cedric’s life to a bank statement, he left this world with every account in credit Where do I begin, to tell you the unlikely tale of this remarkable Yorkshireman?

“Cedric left school at the age of fifteen and joined his father at Farthings Bank He always called his father ‘sir,’ both at work and at home In fact, his father retired just in time not to have to call his son ‘sir’”

A little laughter broke out aation

“Cedric began his working life as a junior trainee Two years later he becah to open a bank account Froer, and later, area controller, before becoest director in the bank’s history And frankly no one was surprised when he becae of forty-two, a position he held for the past twenty-three years, during which ti a local bank in a small town in Yorkshire to one of the most respected financial institutions in the City of London

“But soed, even if Cedric had becoland, was his constant refrain that if you take care of the pennies, the pounds will take care of themselves”

“Do you think we’ve got aith it?” asked Sloane nervously

“If, by that, you’re asking if everything you’ve done in the past four days is legal and above board, the answer is yes”

“Do we have a quorum?”

“We do,” said Malcol director, the co for you in the boardroom Mind you,” he added, “I’d be fascinated to knohat you said to the a funeral in Huddersfield today rather than a boardin London”