"Mr. Nichols, will you do me the favor to be silent?" said his employer, sharply. "The matter concerns Conrad and myself, and I don't choose that any one should communicate with him except myself. To come to the point, did you, or did you not, a fortnight since, sell one of those shawls, such as you see on the counter, for five dollars?"
"I did not," said Walter, promptly.
"It might not have been exactly a fortnight. Have you sold such a shawl within four weeks?"
"I have not sold such a shawl since I have been in your employ, Mr. Drummond."
"You hear what he says, Mr. Nichols," said Mr. Drummond. "You see how he adds falsehood to dishonesty. But that is not uncommon. It is only what I expected. Do you mean to say, Walter Conrad, that you didn't sell such a shawl for five dollars (only half price), and, instead of entering the sale, put the money into your own pocket?"
"I do deny it most emphatically, Mr. Drummond," said Walter, impetuously, "and I challenge you to prove it."