Well, the first thing Herb Schwartz did was to ask me and Swatty to go down to Judge Hannan's office after school one day and we went. Bony didn't go because Herb didn't want him to, and when we went in the office Herb was sitting at a desk and he turned around in his chair and told us to sit down. So we did. We thought maybe the first thing he would tell us was that we were doomed and plumb goners, and how many years we'd have to be in reform school, but he didn't. He looked at me and said:
“Well, George, how is your sister Frances?”
“She's pretty good, I guess,” I told him.
“That's nice,” he said. “And how do you like having that Burton fellow of hers bestirring himself around to put you in reform school.”
“I don't know,” I said. “I guess I don't like it very well.”
“I shouldn't think you would,” he said. “But I suppose your sister Frances likes it.”
“She does not!” I said.
“That's strange,” he said. “She thinks you are a totally depraved young reprobate, don't she? It seems to me that the last conversation I had with her she said that, or words to that effect. I supposed she was the one that set that Burton fellow on you.”
“No, she didn't!” I said. “My mother did.”
“Oh! your mother did, did she?” Herb asked, but he grinned.