or deposit any money or certificates in the sinking-fund until the first of the month because—­now listen to this carefully, gentlemen; it is important—­because his transactions in connection with city loan and everything else that he dealt in for the city treasurer were so numerous, so swift, so uncalculated beforehand, that he had to have a loose, easy system of this kind in order to do his work properly—­to do business at all.  Otherwise he could not very well have worked to the best advantage for Mr. Stener, or for any one else.  It would have meant too much bookkeeping for him—­too much for the city treasurer.  Mr. Stener has testified to that in the early part of his story.  Albert Stires has indicated that that was his understanding of it.  Well, then what?  Why, just this.  Would any jury suppose, would any sane business man believe that if such were the case Mr. Cowperwood would be running personally with all these items of deposit, to the different banks or the sinking-fund or the city treasurer’s office, or would be saying to his head bookkeeper, ’Here, Stapley, here is a check for sixty thousand dollars.  See that the certificates of loan which this represents are put in the sinking-fund to-day’?  And why not?  What a ridiculous supposition any other supposition is!  As a matter of course and as had always been the case, Mr. Cowperwood had a system.  When the time came, this check and these certificates would be automatically taken care of.  He handed his bookkeeper the check and forgot all about it.  Would you imagine a banker with a vast business of this kind doing anything else?”

Mr. Steger paused for breath and inquiry, and then, having satisfied himself that his point had been sufficiently made, he continued: 

“Of course the answer is that he knew he was going to fail.  Well, Mr. Cowperwood’s reply is that he didn’t know anything of the sort.  He has personally testified here that it was only at the last moment before it actually happened that he either thought or knew of such an occurrence.  Why, then, this alleged refusal to let him have the check to which he was legally entitled?  I think I know.  I think I can give a reason if you will hear me out.”

Steger shifted his position and came at the jury from another intellectual angle: 

“It was simply because Mr. George W. Stener at that time, owing to a recent notable fire and a panic, imagined for some reason—­perhaps because Mr. Cowperwood cautioned him not to become frightened over local developments generally—­that Mr. Cowperwood was going to close his doors; and having considerable money on deposit with him at a low rate of interest, Mr. Stener decided that Mr. Cowperwood must not have any more money—­not even the money that was actually due him for services rendered, and that had nothing whatsoever to do with the money loaned him by Mr. Stener at two and one-half per cent.  Now isn’t that a ridiculous situation?  But it was because Mr. George W. Stener was filled