Will the servants let us come so far, d'ye think?" asked the man. "Are
there no dogs about? Must we say the little master and missy told us to
come for that they want to buy a bowl?"

"Oh no," cried Pamela hastily, "that wouldn't do. The servants mustn't
know."

The man glanced at the woman with a meaning look.

"To be sure, to be sure," she said. "Master and missy must please
themselves. It's no business of the servants. Perhaps it's for a little
present to their mamma they want one of our pretty bowls?"

"Us hasn't any mamma," said Duke, "and it isn't for a present, but still
us doesn't want any one to know. Are you _sure_ you've got any bowls
just like ours?"

"Certain sure," said the woman; "you see we've such a many--if I was to
get them all out you'd see. Yours is blue--with leaves all over
it--we've some, sweet and pretty, with pink roses and green leaves."

"No, no," said the children, shaking their heads, "that wouldn't do. It
must be just the same."

"And have you got it there, then?" asked the woman. "But that won't
matter. You'll soon see what beauties ours are. And so cheap! Not to
everybody of course as cheap as to you, but it isn't often we see so
pretty spoken a little gentleman and lady as you. And you shall have
them as cheap as we can give them."

"Then us must get our money-box," said Duke. "It's in the nursery
cupboard. Will you go round to near the back gate," and he pointed in
the direction he named, "and sister will go through the garden to meet
you, and I'll run in for our money-box."

The man peered about him, and again a sort of meaning look passed
between him and the woman.

"To be sure, to be sure," he said. "And pretty missy will wait with us
till you come. But don't be long, master, for we've a weary way to go
afore night."

"Poor things," said Pamela, "are you tired and hungry? I wish us could
ask you to come in and rest, but you see Grandpapa and Grandmamma are
out and Nurse is ill, and there's no one to ask."

"Dear me, what a pity!" said the woman. "To be sure we're tired and
hungry, and it's not an easy business to unpack the panniers, but
anything to please master and missy."

Just then the other woman, who had been standing apart with the big boy
all this time, called out something in the same strange-sounding
language. And, apparently forgetting the children's presence, the man
roared out at her with such brutal roughness that Duke and Pamela shrank
back trembling.