he walk on the top o'
the water for, master?"

Duke looked a little puzzled.

"I don't quite remember, but I think it was to help some poor men when
the sea was rough."

"No, no," said Pamela; "_that_ was the time he felled asleep, and they
woked him up to make the storm go away."

"I'm sure there was a storm the time he was walking on the water, too,"
said Duke; "there's the picture of it. When us goes in, sister, us'll
get Grandmamma's picture-Bible and look"--but suddenly his voice fell,
his eager expression faded. In the interest of the little discussion he
had forgotten where they were, how far away from Grandmamma and her
picture-Bible, how uncertain if ever they should see her or it again!
Pamela understood.

"I wish Jesus would come and help us now," she said softly. "I'm sure us
needs him quite as much as those men he was so kind to. Tell us about
the canal, Tim."

"It's boats," replied Tim. "Long boats made just the right shape. And
they've got rooms in them--quite tidy-like. The one that boy lived in
along o' his mother was as nice as--as nice as nice. And then they go
a-sailin' along--right from one end of the canal to the other."

"What for--just because they like it?"

"Oh no. They've all sorts of things they take about from one place to
another--wood often and coal. But that wasn't a coal boat--it was nice
and clean that one. And there's hosses as walks along the side of the
canals, pullin' of the boats with ropes. It's a pleasant life enough, to
my thinking--that's to say when they're tidy, civil-like folk. Some of
them's awful rough--as rough as Mick and the Missus and all o' _them_."

Duke and Pamela listened with the greatest interest. They quite forgot
to cry any more about their home in listening to what Tim told them.

"Oh, Tim," said Pamela, "I'll tell you what _would_ be nice. If us and
you could get one of those boats, and a horse to pull it, and go sailing
away till we got home to Grandpapa and Grandmamma. That would be nice,
wouldn't it, Tim?"

"Yes, missie," said Tim. "But is there canals near your place?"

Pamela's face fell.

"I don't know. I never thought of that," she said. "But I daresay
there's one that goes to not far off from there. And Mick would never
catch us then, would he, Tim? We'd go so fast, wouldn't we?"

"They don't go that fast--not canal boats," replied Tim. "Still I don't
think as Mick'd ever think of looking for us there. That'd be the best
of it."

B