I guess I staggered. It certainly was a poor night to get any sleeping done. He came right along behind me. There was Ginny in her party dress, her eyes all red. Mother was sitting on the side of her bed in her robe, looking sort of startled.
“Now, young man,” Dad said, “tell us of your cellar escapade.”
I glared at Ginny. She said, “They made me tell, Joe. I’m sorry.”
I said. “The next time I do you a favor...”
Ginny said, “But I couldn’t tell you, Joe, because you were at the movies. Before I left Dad whispered to me that I could stay out until two.”
“He didn’t tell me that!” Mother said.
“Now, Marty, I—”
“You just didn’t want me to know, that the great legal brain had backed down,” Mother said.
Dad got red. “You’re a great one. You, as I understand it, had already told her she could stay out until two and you’d fix it. A pity you didn’t try to fix it through discussion rather than subterfuge.”
Mother said, “Discussion! Hah! I just guessed at a full hour and turned it back in the dark.”
I looked at the clock. And then I got it. When Dad finished reading, he’d turned it from eleven-thirty back to ten-thirty. Then Mother, in the dark, had turned it back to nine-thirty. Then, in the cellar, I cut off the current for an hour.
So when Ginny came in happily at two o’clock, the three of them looked at the clock, and there it was, running along, saying eleven o’clock.
“If there’s anything I detest,” Dad said, “it is dishonesty.”
The three of us stared at him. He got a little bit redder. He looked startled and then he began to grin. In about ten seconds the four of us were laughing so hard we had to hold onto the furniture.
Mother got control of herself first. She said finally, “This episode is declared a draw. No decision. Now let’s all get some sleep.”
The last thing I heard was Dad and Ginny in the hall. I heard him say, “You understand, Virginia, that this sets no precedent.”
As usual Ginny didn’t hesitate.
“Of course not, Father,” she said sweetly. “Only for important dances.”
As I fell asleep I was wondering whether the noise he made was a yawn, or just a great big sigh. One thing for sure. She wasn’t going to welch on that five bucks.