“The loser of course to pay the bill,” laughed Bart.
“Agreed,” replied Billy, “and now just to keep in training I’ll take another piece of that pie. Shoot it over, waiter, and make it snappy.”
At last even Billy’s voracious appetite was satisfied.
“Come along now, you cormorant,” said Tom. “You know we’ve got that appointment in Coblenz this afternoon and we haven’t got any too much time.”
“Are you fellows going across the river this afternoon?” asked Frank in some surprise.
“Why, yes,” said Tom, with a slight tinge of embarrassment. “Don’t you want to come along?”
Frank looked from Tom to Billy and a light broke in upon him.
“Not I,” he laughed. “I’m next to you fellows. Trot along and give my regards to Helen and Alice. I didn’t know the family had reached Coblenz yet. But trust you fellows to find that out.”
Billy and Tom smiled a little sheepishly.
“They got there yesterday,” Billy explained.