Page:Jean Webster--Much ado about Peter.djvu/180

172 Peter drew his face into an expression of judicial sternness. "What have ye got to say for yourselves?" he growled.

There was silence for a moment, then Jerome ventured: "We 're going away in three days. I should n't think at the very end you'd want to have hard feelings between us."

"If you tell mother," Bobby added, "you 'll get Annie into an awful lot of trouble. Annie's been good to me. I'd hate to have her get a scolding."

Peter suppressed a grin.

"Ten years at solitary confinement is what ye deserve," he announced, "but since there's extenuatin' circumstances, I 'll let ye go free on parole—providin' ye play base-ball all the rest o' the time."

"I say, Pete, you 're bully!"

"It's a bargain," said Peter. "An' mind ye keep to it. Officer, set free the prisoners."