"He's going to steal. I planted muskrats in the swamp. He followed me to find out where they are."
The trooper said thoughtfully, "Oh!"
For five minutes they drove in silence. The officer broke it with, "I can take you before Justice Benton, one of the best."
Andy said, "Okeh."
"One of the best," the trooper emphasized. "Have you ever been arrested before?"
"No!"
"Then you can't know court procedure," the policeman said. "Now Benton is a great jurist. He's really wasting himself in a small town. He spends most of his time studying the decisions of various high courts, including the Supreme Court, and deciding what he might have done were he to rule on the same point of law. He shouldn't be handling minor cases and he knows it, and it irritates him if one takes up his time. He always wants to lay it on with a heavy hand when that happens, and he could send you to jail. On the other hand, when a defendant's reasonable and admits his guilt, Benton's usually inclined to go light. Now you've already told me you're guilty and I'll have to testify as to that. Do you understand?"
Andy grinned his appreciation. The trooper, in the only way he possibly could, was telling him how to get off lightly. Andy said,
"I understand."
An hour later, he faced Judge Benton, a stern-faced little man who had a disconcerting habit of peering over instead of through his glasses. The trooper recited the charges. Justice Benton glanced briefly at the papers pertaining to the case and turned to Andy,