“With the same piece?”

“No, sir; with a second piece.”

“Then the first one must have been intended for you,” decided the officer shrewdly.

“I think it was, sir, but it was not a good shot. I could beat that myself.”

“Silence!”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you know who threw the pie?”

“I could guess, though I didn’t see much of anything when the pie hit me. I got a mouthful, too.”

“Who threw it?”

Sam hesitated, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, twisting about as if seeking some means of escape from his present position.