Chapter 2 Summary

Violet, Klaus and Sunny enter the administrative building and are greeted with the sounds of a violin being played very badly. The children recall something their father said shortly before his death. "There is no worse sound in the world than someone who cannot play the violin who insists on doing so anyway." At the time, they had no idea how right their father was.

The sound of the violin is coming from the office of Principal Nero and the children gather the courage to knock on the door. A booming voice frightens them, as Nero demands to know who is interrupting him. Principal Nero is a strange man. His clothes are rumpled and his nose is small and red. His hair is almost completely gone and what remains has been tied up into four ponytails that bob when he moves. Nero believes...