“Not really?” said Titty.
“Really,” said Captain Flint.
“One that can really swear?” said Nancy.
“An out-and-out ruffian,” said Captain Flint.
“What about monkeys?” said Roger.
Captain Flint pulled out a notebook and a pencil.
“Item. One monkey,” he said, taking a note. “With or without a tail?”
“With a tail,” said Roger. “The other sort are only apes.”
“Don’t bring green parrots for us,” said Nancy. “Bring them grey with red tails. Then we can feather our arrows with red feathers instead of green ones.”
Captain Flint opened his mouth and shut it again. He looked hard at Nancy Blackett, and then at a jampot on a shelf, in which there was a single green feather and some new pipe-cleaners. Nancy Blackett caught his eye.
“Your fault for being an enemy,” she said. “And after all, we didn’t take anything but a few feathers. We might have sunk the ship. And, anyway, you are in with us again now.”
“True,” said Captain Flint. “But I wonder how many burglaries there have really been.”
“One,” said Nancy. “Ours wasn’t a burglary. It was honest revenge.”