that the board requires,' said William. 'I have nothing and no one to fear,' he said, looking pointedly at Jake Thomas.
'Thank you,' said Jake Thomas. 'Mr. Chairman, were you in any way involved with sending a file to the justice Department in Washington which caused Abel Rosnovski to be arrested and charged with fraud when at the same time you knew he was a major shareholder of the bank's?'
'Did he tell you that?' demanded William 'Yes, he claims you were the sole reason for his arrest!
William stayed silent for a few moments, considering his reply, while he looked down at his notes. They didn't help. He had not thought that question would arise but he had never lied to the board in aver twenty - three years. He couldn't start now.
Tes, I did,' he said, breaking the silence. 'The infor. mation came into my hands, and I considered that it was nothing less than my duty to pass it on to the justice Department.'
'How did the information come into your hands?'
William did not reply.
'I think we all know the answer to that question, Mr. Chairman,' said Jake Thomas. 'Moreover, you let the authorities know without briefing the board of your action and by so doing you put all of us in jeopardy. Our reputations, our careers, everything this bank stands for over a personal vendetta.'
'But Rosnovski was trying to ruin me,' said William, aware he was now shouting.
'So in order to ruin him you risked the bank's stability and reputation.'
'It is my bank,' said William.
'It is not,' said Jake Thomas. 'You own eight per cent Of the stock, as does Mr. Rosnovski, and at the moment you are president and chairman of Lester's, but the bank is not yours to use for your own personal whim without consulting the other directors!
'Then I will have to ask the board for a vote of confidence,' said William.
'I'll ask you to support me against Abel Rosnovski.'
'That,is not what a vote of confidence would be about,' said the company secretary. 'The vote would be about whether you are the right man to run this bank in the present circumstances. Can't you see that, Mr. Chairman?'
'So be it,' said William, turning his eyes away. 'This board must decide whether it wishes to end my career in disgrace now, after nearly a quarter of a century's service, or to yield to the threats of a convicted criminal!
Jake Thomas nodded to the company secretary and voting slips were passed around to every board member. It looked to William as if everything had been decided before the meeting. He glanced around the crowded table at the twenty - nine men. Many of them he had chosen himself, but some of them he didn't know at all well. He had once heard that a small group of young directors openly supported the Democratic Party and John Kennedy. Some of them were looking at him; some were not. Surely they'd back him; they wouldn't let Rosnov - ski beat him. Not now. Please let me finish my term as chairman, he said to himself, then I'll go quietly and without any fuss - but not this way. He watched the members of the board as they passed their voting slips back to the secretary. He was opening them slowly. The room was silent and all eyes were turned towards the secxetary as he began opening the last few slips, noting down each aye and nay meticulously on a piece of paper placed in front of him that revealed two columns. William could see that one list of names was considerably longer than the other, but his failing eyesight did not permit him to decipher which was which. He could not accept that the day could have come when there would be a vote in his own board room between himself and Abel Rosnovski.
The secretary was saying something. William couldn't believe what he heard. By seventeen votes to twelve he had lost the confidence of the board. He managed to stand up. Abel Rosnovski had beaten him in the final battle. No one spoke as William left the board room. He returned to the Chairman's office and picked up his coat, stopping only to look at the portrait of Charles Lester for the last time, and then walked slowly down the long corridor and out of the front entrance.
The doorman said, 'Nice to have you back again, Mr. Chairman. See you tomorrow, sir.'
William realised he would never see him again. He