THE BLACKMAILERS
17
Babbing was still at his papers. “Is your mother living?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What does she do?”
“Looks after me an’ my sister.”
“What does she do for a living?”
“She rents furnished rooms. Her an’ Annie. That ’s my sister.”
“What does she do with your father’s pension?”
“She puts it all in the bank.”
“What bank?”
“I—I dunno.”
“She does n’t own the house?”
“No, sir.”
“Who owns it?”
“I—I forget.”
“You went to the parochial school?”
“Yes, sir.”
Babbing had found a typewritten report for which he had evidently been looking. As he crossed the room to the telephone, he asked: “Do you smoke cigarettes?”
