broccoli. I'm at the end of my patience. Where on earth
have you been? Why didn't you come straight home from the store?"

"He stops off on his way home to see the Bullfinches," said Cathy,
getting ice cubes out of the refrigerator to put in the water pitcher.
"I've seen him go in."

"Tattletale!" snarled Jerry.

"Just saying where you've seen a person isn't tattling, is it,
Mother?"

"You shoot off your mouth too much," accused Jerry.

"Well, what do you _do_ over at the Bullfinches'?"

"None of your business."

Mrs. Martin shut off the mixer. "I wish you two could be in the same
room without starting a cat and dog fight. Go get Andy out of the
bathroom, Jerry. He came home looking as if he'd been in a coal mine
and I sent him in to take a shower. Help him get dressed in a hurry.
Dinner is about ready to dish up."

Jerry was glad his mother had her mind partly on dinner or she might
have insisted on knowing what he did over at the Bullfinches'. He
sighed. It was all getting too complicated. He certainly would be
thankful when the month of the charge account was over.

The Martins were eating dessert--it was lemon pudding with meringue on
top, one of Jerry's favorite desserts--when the doorbell rang.

"I'll go," said Jerry, pushing back his chair.

It was Mr. Bullfinch at the door. And the way he looked at Jerry made
him feel all shriveled up inside. Mr. Bullfinch looked taller to Jerry
than usual. His gray eyes were like steel. He had the tobacco pouch in
his hand.

"Mrs. Bullfinch and I don't want you to keep this at our house any
longer," he said coldly. "I'm unpleasantly surprised at you, Jerry. I
didn't size you up as a boy who would break into a neighbor's house.
It's not that I mind having you go in. It's the sneaky way you went in
through the cellar window."

"But I didn't--"

"Oh, yes, you did. There was coal dust on the rug in my den. Though
that I might not have noticed if you hadn't broken the record."

"What record? I tell you I didn't break any record."

"I would be willing to overlook it if you'd told me when I got home.
You might have known I would put two and two together. I'm not sure
it's not my duty to report you to the police. I won't this time, for
the sake of your parents if nothing more. And you won't find the key
to the house behind the mailbox. I gave permission to use the key to a
boy I thought I could trust."

Jerry rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes as Mr. Bul