"He looked as if he'd like to catch us napping," Blake said.
However, the papers of the moving picture boys were in proper shape. But they were carefully examined, and during the process, when Joe, addressing Charles Anderson, spoke to him as "Macaroni," the officer looked up quickly.
"I thought his name was Charles," he remarked, as he referred to the papers.
"Certainly. But we call him 'Macaroni' sometimes because he looks like it—especially his legs," Joe explained.
"His legs macaroni?" questioned the English officer, regarding the three chums over the tops of his glasses. "Do you mean—er—that his legs are so easily broken—as macaroni is broken?"
"No, not that. It's because they're so thin," Joe added.
Still the officer did not seem to comprehend.
"It's a joke," added Blake.
Then the Englishman's face lit up.
"Oh, a joke!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so at first? Now I comprehend. A joke! Oh, that's different! His legs are like macaroni, so you call him spaghetti! I see! Very good! Very good!" and he laughed in a ponderous way.