"Yes."
"Do you know for a fact, Mr. Danton, that no one at Mitchell-Campbell Books saw or read the play Catchpole before the publication of The Paper Dragon?"
Danton hesitated.
"Mr. Danton?"
"No, I do not know that for a fact."
"Do you know for a fact that Miss Anita Lang did not see or read the play?"
"No, I do not know that for a fact, either. But Miss Lang is only—"
"You have answered the question."
"I would like to explain…"
"Your Honor…"
"I will hear the witness," McIntyre said.
"I would like to explain that Anita Lang is a very young woman. In fact, she couldn't have been more than twenty-two or three when The Paper Dragon first came to us. She must have been seven or eight years old when Catchpole was produced in New York, so I hardly think she could have seen the play, unless her mother took her to it in a baby carriage."
"Do you know for a fact that she did not read the play?"
"No, I don't."
"Mr. Danton, I call your attention to a report of your own, Defendants' Exhibit H, in which you said, and I quote: 'We have a fine novel here, and it's by a writer who is only thirty-three years old and who will, I am certain, go on writing many more excellent books. I feel we've made a true discovery.' This was dated February 4th, and the notation that all the points were cleared up is dated March 6, 1963. I ask you now, Mr. Danton, whether James Driscoll has delivered any other manuscript to you since that time?"
"He has not."
"To your knowledge, Mr. Danton, is he presently at work on another book?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"To your knowledge, Mr. Danton, had he ever written anything prior to the novel called The Paper Dragon?"
"I believe it was his first novel."
"Was it in fact his first published work of fiction?"
"I don't know."
"I call your attention to Defendants' Exhibit G, the questionnaire sent by Mitchell-Campbell Books to James Driscoll, and I refer you to the section asking the author to list his previous works. Would you please read Mr. Driscoll's answer to the Court?"
"He says, 'I have never had anything published before.' "
"Do you accept the statement in this questionnaire?"
"I do."
"He would have had no reason to falsify an answer to that question?"
"Mr. Driscoll is not a man who falsifies anything."
"Then Mitchell-Campbell Books accepted his statement that The Paper Dragon was the first work of fiction he had ever published."
"Yes, Mitchell-Campbell Books accepted the statement."
"In other words, Mr. Danton, The Paper Dragon in addition to being the first thing Mr. Driscoll ever had published, is also the only thing he has ever published."
"That's correct."
"Thank you, Mr. Danton."
"Is that all?"
"That's all, thank you."
"Are you through, Mr. Brackman?"
"Yes, your Honor."
"Mr. Genitori? Any further questions?"
"No, sir."
"Thank you, Mr. Danton. I'd like to recess for lunch now."
"This Court will reconvene at two p.m.," the clerk said.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"This is Arthur."
"Oh, hello, son where are you?"
"Downtown, in the courthouse. I'm in the hall here. In a phone booth."
"What is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did you lose?"
"It's not over yet, Mom."
"When will it be over?"
"Tomorrow, I guess. Or Friday."
"So soon?"
"Yes. Well, you know, it's a pretty simple case."
"Did you tell them?"
"Oh, sure."
"That he stole from you?"
"Sure."
"What did they say?"
"Well, they don't say anything, Mom. I mean, there's only the judge and the people who're involved, you know. So we present our side, and then they present theirs, and that's it."
"Did they ask you questions?"
"Oh, sure."
"And it was all right?"
"Yes, it was fine."
"How's the play?"
"Well, we're still casting it."
"When will it be?"
"When will it go on, do you mean?"
"Yes."
"I don't know."
"Because I want to tell my sister."
"Oh, sure. I'll let you know in plenty of time."
"Good."
"How's Papa?"
"He's in the sun porch, working on his clocks. Shall I call him?"
"No, that's okay."
"You don't want to talk to him?"
"Well, I want to get some lunch, Mom…"
"Anyway, he's busy. You know how he gets when he's taking one of those things apart."
"Sure. Well, give him my love, anyway."
"I will."
"Have you heard from Julie, Mom?"
"Last week. I told you. I got a letter last week."
"I meant since."
"No."
"I'll have to write to her. I owe her a letter."
"Do you know who died?"
"Who?"
"Do you remember Mr. Danucci, he was a housepainter? He always used to chase you kids off the stoop?"
"Sure, I remember him."
"He died Monday."
"What of?"
"In his bed."
"Oh."
"Well, he was an old man. You remember him, don't you?"
"Sure, I remember him."
"Well, he died."
"That's too bad. Well, listen, Mom, I'd better go get some lunch."
"Yes, call me when the trial is over."
"I will."
"Good."
"Give my love to Papa."
"Yes. Goodbye, son."
"Goodbye, Mom."
"Goodbye."
"Hello, Amy?"
"Daddy? Is that you?"
"Yes, sweetheart, how are you?"
"Fine. Why didn't you call Monday night?"
"I got in too late."
"The reason I didn't say to call Tuesday was because we were going on a trip to Philadelphia, to see all that independence craparoo, and I didn't know what time we'd be getting back. So I figured Wednesday would be safe around noon when we have our lunch period."
"Why'd you call, Amy?"
"Did you see the paper?"
"No. Which paper? What do you mean?"
"About Mother."
"No."
"It said she caused another disturbance in a night club."
"Oh?"
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"It didn't come right out and say she was drunk, but it made it pretty clear."
"Where'd you get a New York paper?"
"A girl in tenth showed it to me. A friend of mine."
"Some friend."
"She didn't mean any harm."
"Well."
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Will you call her?"
"Why should I?"
"If she's going around getting drunk…"
"No, Amy."
"Please? For me?"
"I'm sorry."
"Daddy, I'll be home Friday, the Christmas vacation starts Friday, that's the sixteenth, and I don't even know if she's picking me up. She hasn't written in weeks. Could you call and ask her?"
"Ask her what?"
"If she'll be at the station. She /s my mother, you know."
"I know that, Amy."
"And I'm worried."
"About what? She's perfectly capable—"
"About her falling down drunk in some damn night club, if you want to know. Can't you call her, Daddy?"
"I'm sorry, Amy."
"I tried to reach her three times last week, but I couldn't get an answer. Nobody even answers. Daddy, please call, won't you?"