We're a troop of quitters, you know." "What did you quit ?" asked Tom, taking his informant literally.
"Oh, never mind." "It's all right, as long as you don't quit each other," Tom said, and strolled on to inspect the work of the other troops.
Hervey followed him and in a kind of reckless abandonment said, "Well, you see you were wrong after all--I don't care.

You said I'd win it.

So I put one over on you, anyway," he laughed in a way of mock triumph.
"Tom Slade is wrong for once; how about that?
The rotten egg put one over on you.

See?
I'm the rotten egg--the rotten egg scout.

I should bother my head!" "Go back and pick up those stones, Willetts," said Tom quietly, "and pile them up down by the woodshed." "You didn't even tell them I saved that little bird, did you ?" Hervey said, giving way to his feelings of recklessness and desperation.