"But they do bind me, young man, now and hereafter. Besides, you have bought me away from the tribe and I may never go back and you can never leave me solitary." Here I groaned and she sighed, but with that quiver of red lips that might mean tears or laughter. "A truly terrible situation!" said I. "It is, young man, it is! Though it might ha' been worse." "How so?" "Well, though I have no liking for you, neither your looks, nor your ways, nor your talk, you are better than Bennigo and Jochabed that are very brute beasts." Now at this I leapt to my feet and, turning on indignant heel, strode off, but soon she was up with me and together we presently came out into the high road. And now as she went beside me I saw with added misgiving that the sun was already westering. CHAPTER XIV IN WHICH I SATISFY MYSELF OF MY COWARDICE After we had walked thus in silence for may be a mile or more, she spoke. "Where are you taking me?" she demanded. "Why do you follow me?" I retorted. "Because I must--also it is my whim--and you so wishful to be rid o' me! And why?" she demanded sullenly. "I prefer solitude." "That's a pity!" "Under the circumstances, it is!" I agreed. "You haven't said what you mean to do wi' me!" "Nothing!" "Or where you takes me to?" "I don't know." "You must be a fool, young man. Where shall ye stay the night?" "I don't know this either!" "Lord, young man, you _are_ a fool!" "I begin to suspect I am!" said I bitterly. "However, I wish you would not call me 'young man.'" "Why not, young man?" "Because I resent the appellation." "Talk plain, young man. You do what?" "I strongly object to the term 'young man.'" "But you are a man, ain't you--or something like one? And then you're young--very young, I can see that." "I am nineteen!" "And I am eighteen and years older than you! But if you don't like 'young man' what must I call ye?" "Whatever you please," said I stiffly. "I called ye 'fool' just now, but that won't do, seeing there's s' many about, so I think you shall be 'Tom'--" "My name is Peregrine!" said I in sudden wrath. For a moment she viewed me with her direct, half-sullen gaze, then drooping dark lashes, laughed with a flash of strong white teeth. "Hoity-toity! Don't be angry, Joe!" she mocked; and then: "Peregrine," said she, as if trying the sound of it. "'Peregrine' sounds very fine but then it don't agree wi' your looks--yes, I thinks Tom will suit ye better--or Sam, p'raps." To this I deigned no answer but trudged on in moody silence, endeavouring to formulate some method of escape from this outrageous creature and so absorbed that I paid not the least heed to her foolish chatter until suddenly and most unpleasantly roused by the touch of her fingers on my ear which she tweaked none too gently. This extraordinary familiarity bred in me such indignant disgust that I sprang from her touch to stand dumb and trembling with fury.