Sandy spoke with the certainty of much experience, as, indeed, he had a right to do.
"Our character is all gone," David said thoughtfully, "so it don't much matter how bad we are."
"No, s'long as it ain't wicked bad. We'll be highwaymen, but we won't be thieves and robbers."
"We can get into the cathedral, too," suggested David.
And then, with minds full of revolution and anarchy, the boys bent earnestly to the preliminary work of making their passage secure.
"Ross and Orme, you're never to go along there without us," David said to his young brothers, when he had wriggled back to the cave whence his passage started. Now their services were no longer needed, they were felt to be rather nuisances.
"If you do, you'll get smacked right hard," said Sandy.
Both children fixed round eyes on their elders, unable to understand this sudden change. They were dismayed at its injustice. For some days they had been treated with indulgent kindness, all their faults overlooked, so long as they did diligent work. They were cleaned when possible, and consoled when their dirty appearance awoke wrath in the powers responsible for them. Now, it seemed, all was changed. There was no mistaking Sandy's attitude, as he stood ready to administer the smacks alluded to. Nor were David's frowning brows more encouraging.
Ross tried argument. "We'se scooped, too," he said. "We'se got dirty, ever so," he added.
"Ever so," echoed Orme.