At that Zorn scowled. “See here, Parker! I’m not fussy, but if we’re to do business, you’d better keep a civil tongue in your head. Cut out the ‘lie’ foolishness! This thing didn’t require lying. You and Walker managed to mess things so, the plain record convicts you.”
“The record, as you call it, is wrong, mistaken.”
“What if it is? It stands till it’s disproved. And who’s going to disprove it? You can’t.”
“Can you?” Sam shot back at him.
“Sure I can,” said Zorn coolly.
“Then why don’t you?”
“Why should I? What have you or your push ever done for me?”
Sam checked the hot speech that trembled on his lips. “Wait a minute, Zorn,” he said. “Let me get this straight. It sounds as if you wanted to strike a bargain. Is that the idea?”
“To a dot! Fine! You’re waking up!”
“And if we do something for you, you’ll clear the record for us? You’ll go to all the people you’ve told your story to, and you’ll take it back? You’ll straighten out things for Trojan Walker with the principal? You’ll tell who did the mean work, who took that book into the examination, who——”