mortified now than alarmed, and I cried out:

"It is our rope, and that boy stole it; and I'll tell the police."

"Oh! yer will, will yer?" cried my captor. "We'll see about that.
Here, what money have yer got?"

"I've only enough for my breakfast," I cried defiantly. "Give me my
rope and let me go."

"Oh yes, I'll let yer go," he cried, as I wrestled to get away, fighting
with all my might, and striving to reach the rope at the same moment.

"Look out, Ned," said one of the men at the door, grinning. "He'll be
too much for yer;" and the other uttered a hoarse laugh.

"Ah, that he will!" cried the big fellow, letting me get hold of the
rope, and, tightening his grasp upon my collar, he kicked my legs from
under me, so that I fell heavily half across the coil, while he went
down on one knee and held me panting and quivering there, perfectly
helpless.

The boy made another dart forward, and I saw the woman catch at him by
the head, but his shortly-cropped hair glided through her hands, and he
would have reached me had not the man kicked out at him and made him
stop suddenly and watch for another chance.

"Who's got a knife?" growled the man now savagely as he turned towards
the two fellows at the door; "I'll soon show him what it is to come here
a-wanting to steal our cart-ropes. Chuck that there knife here."

He rose as he spoke, and planted one foot upon my chest. Then catching
the pocket-knife thrown to him by one of the men at the door, he opened
it with a great deal of show and menace, bending down to stare savagely
in my eyes as he whetted the blade upon the boot resting on my chest.

Of course I was a good deal alarmed, but I knew all the while that this
was all show and that the great ruffian was trying to frighten me. I
was in a desperately bad state, in an evil place, but it was broad
daylight, and people had seen me come in, so that I did not for a moment
think he would dare to kill me. All the same, though, I could not help
feeling a curious nervous kind of tremor run through my frame as he
flourished the knife about and glared at me as if pondering as to what
he should do next.

"I wish Ike were here," I thought; and as I did so I could not help
thinking how big and strong he was, and how little he would make of
seizing this great cowardly ruffian by the throat and making him let me
go.

"Now, then," he cried, "out wi' that there money." For answer, I
foolishly showed him where it was b