"Yes, sir."
"Who paid for them?" Farland demanded.
"A gentleman who was with him," said the merchant.
"Ah! Know the gentleman?"
"I saw him to-day—at police headquarters."
"And you said that you never had seen him before—that he was not here last night with this man. Why did you lie?"
Jim Farland roared the question and smashed a fist down upon the counter. The little merchant flinched.
"Out with it!" Farland cried. "Tell the truth, you little crook! I want to know why you lied, who told you to lie. I want to know all about it, and mighty quick!"
"I—I don't understand this," the merchant whimpered. "I was afraid of making a mistake."
"You'll make a mistake right now if you don't tell the truth!" Jim Farland told him.