“Wait a minute,” Taylor said irritably. “What’s all this got to do with you? I admit we made a mistake—I’ll take the blame for it—and we’re sorry. We can’t remedy it by talking any more. Come on, boys.”
“Wait just a minute,” Denby exclaimed. “Don’t you know,” he went on, addressing himself to the two subordinate officials, “that it’s rather a dangerous thing to monkey with the United States Government? It’s a pretty big thing to fool with. You might have got into serious trouble arresting the wrong man.”
“I haven’t been monkeying with the Government,” Gibbs said nervously. All his official carelessness recurred to him vividly. “I wouldn’t do a thing like that.”
“Neither have I,” Duncan made eager reply.
Taylor took a hand in the conversation. “That’s all settled,” he said, with an air of finality. “We all know Mr. Denby never had a necklace.”
“That’s clearly understood, is it?” Denby returned.
“What I say is right,” Taylor retorted, and glared at his underlings.
“What the Chief says is right,” Gibbs admitted with eagerness.
“What the Chief says is wrong,” Denby cried in a different voice. “I did smuggle a necklace in through the Customs to-day. Here it is.”
They looked at it in consternation. “What!” they ejaculated.