appearance. He looked all round about him in this manner, finally
vouchsafing a report to the impatient Sam.

"No enemies in sight--just for the main and simple reason I
expect they're all in the alley and in Georgie Bassett's
backyard."

"I bet they're not!" Sam said scornfully, his irritation much
increased. "How do YOU know so much about it?"

"Just for the main and simple reason," Penrod replied, with
dignified finality.

And at that, Sam felt a powerful impulse to do violence upon the
person of his comrade-in-arms. The emotion that prompted this
impulse was so primitive and straightforward that it almost
resulted in action; but Sam had a vague sense that he must
control it as long as he could.

"Bugs!" he said.

Penrod was sensitive, and this cold word hurt him. However, he
was under the domination of his strategic idea, and he
subordinated private grievance to the common weal. "Get up!" he
commanded. "You get up, too, Verman. You got to--it's the rule.
Now here I'll SHOW you what we're goin' to do. Stoop over, and
both o' you do just exackly like _I_ do. You watch ME, because
this biz'nuss has got to be done RIGHT!"

Sam muttered something; he was becoming more insurgent every