The copied signature

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The clerk held two letters against the office window. One had been signed by the merchant that morning; the other authorised a large withdrawal from his account. The names appeared almost identical. Mr Moss, the senior clerk, said the merchant had already left town and that payment should proceed before the bank closed.

The younger clerk pointed to the tail of the final letter. In the withdrawal instruction it curled upwards; in the merchant’s usual hand it turned below the line. Mr Moss said tired men did not write every name alike. The younger clerk agreed, but asked whether the messenger could wait while they compared another page.

Three signatures in the ledger shared the downward stroke. The messenger began saying he had another appointment. Mr Moss asked him where the merchant had given him the letter. His answer named a room in a hotel that had been closed for repairs all week. The senior clerk placed the instruction inside a drawer and sent for the manager.

The payment was suspended. Later, Mr Moss told the younger man that one odd stroke alone would not have proved forgery. He knew that, he said. It had given them a reason to ask another question. When the bank clock struck five, the withdrawal slip remained unpaid, and the original morning letter lay beside it for comparison.

“The younger clerk is presented as careful without pretending that suspicion is proof.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.