One day Justice Holmes was dismayed to find that an important volume had gone missing from his library. In a fit, he interrogated his secretary, butler, and servants before heading off to the Supreme Court. His wife, Fanny, simply held her tongue.

Some time later, Holmes returned home, and was amused to find the book in its place on the shelf and, above it, an American flag and a neatly printed sign, courtesy of Fanny:

"I am a very old man. I have had many troubles, most of which never happened."