"No; I can settle my own business without a cop butting into it," replied the man savagely.
"Call an officer for me, then," said Dick. "I accuse this man of stealing the diamond he asked you to fix a price on."
"How dare you call me a thief!" roared the man.
"Because that's what you are," answered Dick defiantly.
Customers coming into the pawnshop stopped to see what was going on. As the case stood, all the advantage lay with Dick, for he had the article in dispute, and possession is nine points of the law. As the racket was highly undesirable in the pawnshop, the clerk decided to telephone for a policeman to come and straighten things out, since neither Dick nor the man showed any signs of giving in. The man himself realized that things were growing desperate. The lady said something to him in a low tone, but he shook his head impatiently. Evidently somebody had told a policeman of the case, for just at this time an officer appeared.
[CHAPTER V.—Dick Carries His Point.]
"Well, what's the trouble here?" asked the officer.
"The trouble is that man stole a five-carat unset diamond from our store and came here to pawn it. I followed him and got it away from him. I expect the manager of the store here any moment so I want that man detained till he comes," said Dick.
"It's a lie. The diamond is my property," said the accused wrathfully.