Dilly. Yes, he was a good boy until he gained a friend, a false friend, who led him into temptation.
Fred. (Aside.) What is the girl up to now?
Dilly. This false friend taught him to gamble.
Doctor. That wasn’t like Harry: he never gambled.
Dilly. He lost a large sum he could not pay. The false friend proffered assistance; gave him a check purporting to be signed by the boy’s father, with a very plausible story to account for its being in his possession.
Fred. (Aside.) What is she driving at?
Dilly. The fraud was discovered; the boy punished.
Doctor. The boy! It should have been the friend.
Dilly. You’re right, doctor; it should. But the proof was strong against the boy, and he suffered. Even his own father believed him guilty.
Doctor. False friend! false father!