His mother had moved from beside him now, and both her hands were patting at the man's sleeve in a pitiful way, while again and again she tried to speak, but no words would come.
"It's a lie!" said Matthews again, in a colourless, mechanical way.
The man glanced at Mrs.Matthews as he put the five-dollar note back into his pocket, seemed to choke a little, shook his head, and all trace of the official sternness that had crept into his voice disappeared.
"It's no good," he said in a low tone.

"Don't do that, Mrs.Matthews, I've got to do my duty." He leaned a little toward the chair.

"It's dead to rights, Sammy.

You might as well make a clean breast of it.

It was up to you and Al Gregor to see that the plate was destroyed.