d aint you frightened of me,
missy?"

"Fwightened?" replied Diana; "that aren't me." She turned her back and
strode back to Orion.

"'Member you is a giant," she said, in a whisper; "and giants never is
fwightened."

The man laughed again.

"Well, they are a queer little pair," he said. "I tell you what it is,
Rodesia Lee; I'll give you a pund apiece for 'em. Come, now; not a
penny more."

Diana stared very hard indeed when these words were uttered. She had
not the faintest idea what a "pund apiece" meant. Mother Rodesia
seemed to consider.

"And you may think yourself in rare luck," continued the man; "for,
remember, if it is known--" Here he walked to the farthest end of the
room, and Mother Rodesia followed him.

"You had best close up the bargain and be quick about it," he said;
"for not one penny more will you drag out of me. I'll give you a gold
sov. for each of 'em, and that's as much as I can manage. They will
take a sight of training, and then there's the risk."

"Very well," said Mother Rodesia, "I suppose I had best do it; only
they are worth more. There's a fortune in that little gal, and
whenever you are tired of her, why, there's a rich father to fall back
on. I spect he would give a sight of money to have her back again.
Very well, we'll agree; only, if ever you do get a fortune out of that
child, Ben Holt, you might remember poor Rodesia Lee."

The man laughed and patted Mother Rodesia on her shoulder. Then the
pair left the room, locking the door behind them.

"What does it all mean?" said Orion.

"I don't know," said Diana; "but I aren't fwightened; that aren't me."
Her little voice shook as she spoke, and she had great difficulty in
keeping the tears back from her big, black eyes.

CHAPTER XVII.

GREASED LIGHTNING.

At the end of half an hour the door of the small room was again
unlocked, and a woman with a thin, pale face, and somewhat frightened
manner, appeared. She carried a tray in her hand, which contained two
little bowls of porridge, and a small jug of milk. "So you are the two
young 'uns," she said. "Well, you had best be quick and eat up your
breakfast. Uncle Ben is going to have a rehearsal, and he wants you to
see what they are all doing."

"We hasn't got no Uncle Ben," said Diana; "don't be silly, woman.
What's your name?" she added.

"I'm generally called Aunt Sarah," was the reply; "and now, look here,
you two little mites; I'll be good to you if you'll le