Johnny nodded his head. They thought they were scaring him.
They talked a little while longer, describing things they might do to him if he told their names, and Johnny pretended to be afraid.
"All right," Ed said after the lecture. "Get back to the kitchen."
"Can I play with your monkey?" Johnny asked.
"Play with that monkey!" Ed's pale eyebrows went up. "He'd chew an ear off you. I've been trying to tame him for a month—and he don't do anything but bite. You leave him alone."
"He won't bite me," Johnny said. "I don't think he will." The monkey would be a big help in escaping, if only they'd let Johnny get close to him. "I'll just go get some sugar cubes from the kitchen."
"Let him, Ed. It'll teach the brat a lesson," the narrow-faced Barney put in.
"O.K." Ed said. "Get bit, if you want to."
Johnny rushed through the open door into the kitchen. Rick was sitting at the table with a book beside him.
"You got any candy, Rick?" Johnny asked. "Or maybe some sugar cubes?"