This was always Electra’s answer when she was making something which she meant as a surprise, and Elizabeth’s curiosity was aroused. She sniffed the air, saying: “If I guess what it is will you tell me?”
Electra smiled grimly. “I’ll give you three guesses, and if you don’t guess right you can just clear out.”
“It has a sort of cakey smell, and yet it doesn’t smell exactly like gingerbread,” said Elizabeth contemplatively. “I suppose it isn’t ginger muffins.”
“If that’s a guess,” returned Electra, “I’m free to say it ain’t.”
“I didn’t think it was,” returned Elizabeth, “so I am not going to call it a guess.”
“Then what was it?”
“Oh, just a—a sort of side remark.”
Electra laughed. “Hurry up, or I’ll shoo you out without any guesses.”
“Then I’ll guess rusk, hot rusks.”
“Wrong.”