John Cole stepped before the high desk, and the man behind it looked at him inquiringly.
“You remember me, Sergeant,” said John Cole.
“Oh, yes—Mr. Cole,” said the officer. “And this is the boy, is it?” And his keen, quizzical eyes coasted over Joshua from head to feet. “Um! Bad actor, is he? Um!... Well, Mr. Cole, you can go right up to the court room. There’s not much doing this morning.”
The sergeant spoke to one of the lounging policemen, and this man motioned to John Cole and led the way out into the corridor. Joshua followed his father, who lagged behind when outside in the long hall, allowing Joshua to catch up with him.
“Now, listen,” he said in a voice so low that the policeman ahead of them could not hear: “When you stand before the judge I want you to tell him that you are willing to do what I want you to. Do you understand?”
“I—I guess so,” faltered Joshua.
“Because,” said his father, “if you don’t, you know what’s awaiting you at home. Think it over before we reach the court room. Make your choice. And remember this: What I have done to you in the past won’t be worth considering to what I’ll do to you if you are left with me.”
Joshua was bewildered, of course. He hardly realized what it was all about, it had happened so suddenly. But there was no doubt in his mind as to the deep threat in his father’s words, and a cold fear took hold on him as he thought again of the bathtub filled with water, the nightmare of his young life.
The police judge was a short, fat man, very brisk and businesslike, with fair skin, blond hair, and big blue eyes that somehow seemed to gaze in an odd surprise at all that came before them. There was little ceremony to what followed, and there were no preliminaries at all. Almost before he knew it Joshua was facing those surprised blue eyes, and the judge was looking him over as if he were some strange new animal just captured.
“Well, well, well!” he said in an oily tone. “Incorrigible, eh? Won’t study and disobeys the rules. And he stole his father’s razor when he ran away. Incorrigible! Young man, don’t you know that you are incorrigible?”