"I'm too midderable to sleep," he said. "And it's all my fault. Just
look at sister, Tim. She's not even undressed, and she'll die--sleeping
all night without any bed out in the cold. Oh, and it's all my fault!"
"Hush, hush, master!" said Tim, terrified lest the others should
overhear them.
"What does he want to do with us? Why won't he take us home?" asked
Duke.
Tim hesitated a moment.
"I thought at first it was just to get money for bringing of ye back,"
he said. "I've known him do that."
"But us would tell," said Duke indignantly. "Us would tell that he
wouldn't let us go home."
"Ah, he'd manage so as 'twouldn't matter what you said," replied Tim.
"He'd get some pal of his to find you like, and then he'd get the money
back from him."
"What's a pal?" asked Duke bewildered.
"Another like hisself; a friend o' his'n," said Tim. "But that's not
what he's after. I found out what it is. There's a show at some big
place we're going to; and they want pretty little ones like you and
little missy, to dress them up and teach them to dance, and to play all
sort o' tricks--a-riding on ponies and suchlike, I daresay. I'se seen
them. And Mick'll get a good deal that way. I'd bet anything, and so'd
Diana, that's what he's after."
"But us'd _tell_," repeated Duke, "us'd tell that he'd stoled us away,
and they'd have to let us go home.
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