apa'd never put _you_ in prison, Diana."

They sat up now and looked at her anxiously.

"Perhaps not," she said, shaking her head nevertheless. "But I dursn't
go with you. I must stay here to stop them going the right way after you
for one thing. And then--you didn't know it, but, bad as he is, Mick's
my brother. I dursn't get him into trouble."

"Mick's your bruvver!" repeated Pam; "the same as bruvver is to me. And
he speaks so naughty to you, Diana. I don't fink he _can_ be your
bruvver. I fink you've made a mistake. Oh do come wif us, dear Diana.
You and Tim."

"Yes for Tim, it'd be the best thing he could do, and the best chance
for you to get safe home. But for me," and again Diana shook her head.
"Let alone Mick, I'm only a poor wild gipsy girl," she said. "I couldn't
take to your pretty quiet ways; no, it'd kill me. It's in the gipsy
blood--we must for ever be on the go. It wasn't so bad long ago when
father and mother was alive. Father was honest--he was a gentleman
gipsy, he was. But Mick's another sort. If I could get away from him I
would--but not so as to get him into trouble. I'll try some day to get
among a better lot. There's bad and good among us, though you mightn't
believe it. But here am I wasting time talking of myself, and I want to
tell you all I'm thinking of. First, do you know the name of the village
or town nearest where you live?"

"Sandle'ham," said the children.

"But is that near your home?" pursued Diana. The twins shook their
heads. They didn't know.

"Us was there once," said Duke. "But it was a long time ago. It seemed a
very far way."

"And is there no village nearer?"

"Yes, of course," said Pamela. "There's where Barbara Twiss and the
butcher Live, and where the church is."

"And what's it called?"

"What's it called?" repeated the children. "Why, it's just called the
village. It isn't called anything else."

"That's what I was afraid of," said Diana. "And it was all new country
thereabouts to me. Well, there's nothing for it but to make for
Sandle'ham, and once there Tim must go to the police."

At this dreadful word the children set up a shriek, but Diana quickly
stopped them.

"Hush, hush!" she said, "you'll have them all coming to see what's the
matter. The police won't hurt _you_, you silly children. They'd be your
best friends if only they could find you. I'd rather have had nothing to
say to them, for fear they should get too much out of Tim, but I see no
o