mming sounded louder, but presently Jimmy stopped suddenly.

CHAPTER XII

JIMMY SLEEPS IN A WINDMILL

'Hullo!' said a voice close in front of him, and looking up Jimmy saw a
man smoking a pipe. Of course it was too dark for him to see anything
very distinctly, but still his eyes had become used to the darkness, and
he could see more than you would imagine.

'What are you after?' asked the man.

'Please I was looking for somewhere to sleep,' answered Jimmy.

'Well, you're a rum sort of youngster,' said the man. 'Here, come along
o' me.'

Jimmy followed him along a path which led to the mill, and as they drew
near to it the great sails seemed to swish through the air in a rather
alarming manner. The man opened a door and Jimmy looked in. The floor
was all white with flour, and dozens of sacks stood against the walls.
The man also looked nearly as white as the floor, and he began to smile
as the light fell upon Jimmy. But the boy did not feel at all inclined
to smile.

'Why,' he asked, 'you look as if you've come from a circus?'

'I have,' answered Jimmy, feeling quite stupid from sleepiness.

'Run away?' said the man. 'Have you?'

'Yes,' answered Jimmy, gaping.

'Got nowhere to sleep?' asked the miller.

'No,' was the answer.

'Hungry?' asked the miller.

'I only want to go to sleep,' said Jimmy, gaping again.

'Come in here,' said the man, and without losing a moment, Jimmy
followed him into the mill. There the man threw two or three sacks on to
the floor, and told Jimmy to lie down. There seemed to be a great noise
at first, but Jimmy shut his eyes and soon fell sound asleep, too sound
asleep even to dream of Coote or the clown.

He was awakened by the miller's kicking one of the sacks on which he
lay, and looking about to see where he was, Jimmy saw that it was broad
daylight, and that the sun was shining brightly.

'Now, then, off with you,' cried the miller, 'before I get into
trouble.'

'What time is it, please?' asked Jimmy sleepily, as he stood upright.

'It'll soon be six o'clock,' was the answer.

Jimmy thought it was a great deal too early to get up, and he felt so
tired that he would very much have liked to lie down again, but he did
not say so.

'Here, take this,' said the man, and he put twopence into Jimmy's hand.
'Mind they don't catch you,' he added.

'Please can you tell me the way to Chesterham?' asked Jimmy.

'Chesterham's a long way,' answered the miller; 'but yo