“Now, don't you be afraid, Lemuel,” she said. “Nobody's going to harm you whilst I'm here, I tell them that! What you want, Rudolf Schulig? You ought to be ashamed of yourself, scaring the wits out of a poor child, I won't be a mite surprised if Harvey has got into some shape of devilment, for I will say to his face I've been expecting it this long time, but this boy never did a mean thing, I 'll warrant.” “Does he or don'dt he, is none of my business,” said Schulig. “Der chutch makes dot oudt. Chutch says it, und I go und do it.” “Judge who?” “Chutch Bruce,” said Schulig. “Says to me der chutch, 'Schulig, go und get me Harfey Redding und such a boy is called Lempuel Redding.' Und I get them. Else is not my business. I go und get them.” “But you can't. You have to have a warrant,” said Henrietta. “Is n't that what you have to have--a warrant? Have you got a warrant?” “Sure I got von,” said Schulig, and he produced it. “I don'd know you vant it. Here iss.” “What's it say?” Susan asked, and Gay, leaning against Henrietta's arm, read it. “It says Lem and one boy known as Swatty Swartz, together with one boy known as Bony, did steal, and so forth, a chunk of lead metal, of a value of three or more dollars, from the junkyard of one Moses Schuder,” said Gay. “There!” said Miss Susan triumphantly, “I knew it! You've got the boys mixed up, somehow. Lemuel don't steal. He ain't that kind of boy. You don't know anything about it, do you, Lem?” Lem looked up into his aunt's face. “Yes, mam,” he said. “Well, maybe you do,” said Miss Susan. “I dare say that Swatty boy and Bony boy fetched the lead to your pa's junkyard. It's like enough they did. But you never knew it was stole, did you, Lem?” “Yes, mam, I did know,” Lem said. “I knew it.” “But you did not help them steal it,” said Miss Susan sharply. “Yes, mam,” said Lem again. “Or, anyway, I did n't help them. They were the ones that helped me.” There was no bravado in the boy's voice. He was frightened. His face was so white with fear that the freckles stood out as if they floated above the skin and were not on it. Miss Susan was almost as white, but with shame, indignation, and anger, and her eyes were hard now. “Well!” she exclaimed. “Well, indeed! A nice sort of boy I have had boosted onto me. A nice sort of boy you put into pawn, Harvey Redding! A thief, and he admits it, and brags about it! A nice sort of boy--going off with a lot of hoodlums and leading them to steal and rob! And I suppose,” she said, turning on Lemuel, “you went right to your saintly father and sold that lead to him!” “Yes, mam,” said Lem, swallowing a lump in his throat. “I--I sold it to him for three dollars.” “And you and the other young rascals divided the money amongst you!”