The first woman hastened to reassure them.

"For shame, Mick," she said, and then with a laugh she turned to the
children. "It's just a way he has. You must excuse him, master and
missy. And if little master will go quick for the money-box it would be
better. There won't be much in it, I suppose, but it isn't much we'd
want to take."

"Oh but there's a great deal," said Duke. "One big guinea--that's
between us, and two little ones, one each, and three shillings and a
fourpenny of mine----"

"And five sixpences and seven pennies of mine," said Pamela.

"Who'd a-thought it?" said the woman admiringly. "I'd be pleased to see
so much money for once."

"Well, I'll show it you," said Duke, and off he started. Pamela looked
after him for a moment.

"Wouldn't it be better," she said to the woman, "if you saw a bit of the
bowl, then you could find the ones like it in a minute?"

"What a clever missy!" exclaimed the woman, bent on flattery.

"Then I'll run after bruvver and fetch the bits," said Pamela, and, not
heeding the woman's calling after her that there was no need to give
herself the trouble, off she set too, overtaking Duke just before he
reached the house.

"I've come after you!" she exclaimed, breathless; "I want to get the
broken bits and then they'll see what the bowl was like. And,
bruvver,"--and the little girl hesitated a little,--"I was _raver_
frightened to stay alone wif those people. The man did speak so rough,
didn't he?"

Duke had felt very brave on the top of the wall, and rather proud of
himself for feeling so.

"You needn't be afraid when _I'm_ there, sister," he said. "Besides they
can't hurt us--us'll just buy the bowl and run back with it. Us needn't
go farther than just by the back gate."

"Do you fink you should take _all_ the money?" asked Pamela doubtfully.
"It can't cost all that."

"I'll not take the gold guineas, then," said Duke. "At least," he went
on, sorely divided between caution and the wish to show off his riches,
"I'll only take _one_--just to let them see it. And one shilling and one
sixpence to let them see, and all the pennies. You needn't be
frightened, sister," he repeated encouragingly, as the two trotted
across the garden again, "I won't let the man speak rude to _you_."

CHAPTER IV.

BABES IN A WOOD.

"Out of this wood do not desire to go;
Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no."
_Midsummer Night's Dre