"I fink there's one in my pocket," said Pamela, and when Duke had extracted it, and with its help the poor foot was tied up much more scientifically than before, she sat up and looked about her, less white and miserable by a good deal, thanks to their new friend. "What a nice boy you are," she said condescendingly. "What's your name? Is that---- ugly man" she was going to have said, but she hesitated, afraid of hurting the boy's feelings--"is the man your father?" and she dropped her voice. "Bless yer, no," he replied with real fervency, "and that's one thing I'm thankful for. Mick my father; _no_, thank you, missy. My name's Tim, leastways so I'm called. Diana she says it's short for Timothy, but Tim's long enough." "And who's Diana?" asked the children, beginning to forget their own troubles in curiosity. "Her as he roared out at so--yonder--when you was up at the top o' the wall. She's a deal better than him and the missus is Diana. But listen, master and missy. He'll be back in a minute, and----" "Oh let us run away before he comes! oh do help us to run away!" they exclaimed, all their terrors returning. "Us doesn't want the bowl now. Oh Tim, can't us all run away, quick, before he comes?" And the two little creatures seized hold of their new friend's ragged jacket as if they felt that in him was their only chance of safety. CHAPTER V. TIM. "Whose imp art thou with dimpled cheek, And curly pate and merry eye?" J. BAILLIE. They were so excited, so eager to be off at once, that for a minute or two Tim could scarcely get them to listen to him. They had forgotten all about the snakes, or else their confidence in the boy as a protector was so great that they were sure he would defend them against every danger. "Oh Tim, dear Tim, do let us go quick," they kept repeating. "But master and missy," he explained at last when they would let him speak, "we can't. Don't you see Mick knows exactly where he left yer, and he'd be after us in a minute. There's nowhere near here where we could hide but what he'd find us. You'd only get me a beating, that 'ud be all about it. No, listen to me. P'raps Mick means to take yer home straight away, but if he doesn't we must wait a bit till I can find out what he's after. He's a deep one is Mick." "Couldn't you run home quick to tell Grandpapa and Grandmamma where us is?" said Duke. "Grandpapa, and the coachman, and Dymock, and the gardener--they'd all come to fetch us." "I dursn't," said Tim. "Not yet; Mick's a deep one. If he thought I'd run off to tell he'd----" "What would he do?" they asked breathlessly. "He'd hide away somehow. 'Twouldn't be so easy to find him. He'll be back in a moment too--I couldn't get off before he'd be after me. No; we must wait a bit till I see what he's after." "Why haven't you runned away before?" asked Pamela. "If he's not your father, and if you don't like him."