re
enough a boat was moored. There was no one moving about the little house
Tim had pointed out, but on board the canal boat two figures were to be
seen--or rather three, for they were those of a young man and a younger
woman with a baby in her arms; and in answer to a whistle from Tim the
man came forward and called out cheerfully, "Good morning; is it all
right?"

"All right," called back Tim, and then he turned to the children.

"We're going in this boat, master and missy. See, won't it be fine fun,
sailing away along the canal?"

Pamela seemed a little frightened.

"You're sure he won't take us to that naughty man?" she said, holding
Tim's hand tight.

"Bless you, no; it's to get away from him we're going in the boat.
Peter--that's the name of the man there--Peter's promised to take us as
far as he goes towards Sandle'ham. It's such a piece of luck as never
was to have come across him; he's the cousin of the boy I told you of
who let me stay in his boat when I was a little 'un."

"Oh," cried the children,--"oh yes, us remembers that story. It was a
boy and his mother. And was it a boat just like this, Tim?"

"Not near so clean and tidy. This one's been all new painted, don't you
see? It's as clean as clean. But we must be quick. Peter and I'll jump
you in. He's all ready to start. There's the horse a-waiting."

Duke was quite content, but Pamela still hung back a little.

"Us has never been in a boat," she said.

"Come on," called out Peter, and the young woman with the baby came
forward with a smile.

"You must look sharp," said Peter, in what was meant to be an
encouraging tone. "The morning's getting on, you know," he added to Tim,
"and if those folk down yonder took it in their heads to come this way
it'd be awk'ard."

"I know," said Tim, and lifting Duke in his arms he handed him over to
Peter, thinking Pamela would be sure to follow. So she was, for she
would have gone after "bruvver" down the crater of Vesuvius itself I do
believe, but she looked white and trembled, and whispered piteously,

"I am so frightened, Tim."

"But it's better than if Mick had cotched us, and you'd had to go to
that Signor man, missy," said Tim encouragingly.

This appealed to Pamela's common sense, and in a few minutes she seemed
quite happy. For Peter's wife introduced her to the baby, and as it was
really rather a nice baby--much cleaner than one could have expected to
find one of its species on a canal boat--th