“Take all the time you want,” said Billy patronizingly, “but I guessed it as soon as I heard it.”
As they had no evidence to the contrary, they had to take Billy’s word for this.
They pondered it for several minutes, but no answer was forthcoming.
“Nobody home,” taunted Billy. “You’re a bunch of dead ones for fair.”
“I’ll give it up,” said Mouser.
“Let’s have it, Billy,” surrendered Fred.
“I’ll be the goat,” said Bobby. “What’s the answer?”
“The letter M,” crowed Billy.
Disgust and discomfiture sat on the boys’ faces.
“Rotten,” groaned Pee Wee.