"And what did he say?" cried Vance.
"Just as B. J. as ever," growled Murray. "'Thank you,' he said, 'I'll go get mine and let you do it.' Of course he knew perfectly well that I wanted to show him on mine and let him do the work. I said to him, 'I've a gun to show you on, if you please.' And by George——"
"You don't mean he cleaned your gun for you!" gasped Baby.
"That's just exactly what I do! You might have knocked me over with a feather. He said, 'Certainly, sir.' Yes, by jiminy, he actually said 'sir.' And when I left him he was working away like a beaver. He had the gun half cleaned. What do you think of that?"
Gus finished and gazed at his two companions triumphantly. He felt that he had accomplished something that no other member of his class ever had.
"I'll bet Mallory was afraid of you," chirruped Baby Edwards. "Don't you suppose that's it, Merry?"
Vance picked up his mandolin and resumed his cynical smile.
"I'll tell you what I think," he said.
"What?" demanded Murray.
"That you're a fool."