Timothy, but
Tim's long enough."

"And who's Diana?" asked the children, beginning to forget their own
troubles in curiosity.

"Her as he roared out at so--yonder--when you was up at the top o' the
wall. She's a deal better than him and the missus is Diana. But listen,
master and missy. He'll be back in a minute, and----"

"Oh let us run away before he comes! oh do help us to run away!" they
exclaimed, all their terrors returning. "Us doesn't want the bowl now.
Oh Tim, can't us all run away, quick, before he comes?"

And the two little creatures seized hold of their new friend's ragged
jacket as if they felt that in him was their only chance of safety.

CHAPTER V.

TIM.

"Whose imp art thou with dimpled cheek,
And curly pate and merry eye?"
J. BAILLIE.

They were so excited, so eager to be off at once, that for a minute or
two Tim could scarcely get them to listen to him. They had forgotten all
about the snakes, or else their confidence in the boy as a protector was
so great that they were sure he would defend them against every danger.

"Oh Tim, dear Tim, do let us go quick," they kept repeating.

"But master and missy," he explained at last when they would let him
speak, "we can't. Don't you see Mick knows exactly where he left yer,
and he'd be after us in a minute. There's nowhere near here where we
could hide but what he'd find us. You'd only get me a beating, that 'ud
be all about it. No, listen to me. P'raps Mick means to take yer home
straight away, but if he doesn't we must wait a bit till I can find out
what he's after. He's a deep one is Mick."

"Couldn't you run home quick to tell Grandpapa and Grandmamma where us
is?" said Duke. "Grandpapa, and the coachman, and Dymock, and the
gardener--they'd all come to fetch us."

"I dursn't," said Tim. "Not yet; Mick's a deep one. If he thought I'd
run off to tell he'd----"

"What would he do?" they asked breathlessly.

"He'd hide away somehow. 'Twouldn't be so easy to find him. He'll be
back in a moment too--I couldn't get off before he'd be after me. No; we
must wait a bit till I see what he's after."

"Why haven't you runned away before?" asked Pamela. "If he's not your
father, and if you don't like him."

"Nowhere to run to," said Tim simply. "It's not so bad for me. I'm used
to it. It's not like you, master and missy. Diana and me, when you was
up at the top o' the wall, we'd ha' done anything to sto