"Oh, they do, do they!" said the man who had spoken before. "Then that's
a mighty good reason why we should keep you here a little while."

"Keep us here!" stormed Marjorie, not at all realizing that they were
being kidnapped, but merely thinking these people were playing some
sort of a joke upon them. "Why should you keep us here? We want to go
on."

"You want to go on, do you?" And the man fairly snarled at them; "well,
you can't go on, and you may as well understand that! Didn't Jim send
you?"

"Yes, Jim sent us," said Marjorie, remembering what the man who was
weaving the basket had said.

"Then if Jim sent you, you're here to stay. And as it's just impossible
for you to get away, there's small use in your trying! So you may as
well make the best of it, and if you don't want your bread and milk you
needn't eat it, but if you do, you can have it. There, now, I'm speaking
fair by you, and you may as well behave yourselves."

"Speaking fair by us!" exclaimed Marjorie, who was as yet more indignant
than frightened. "Do you call it speaking fair by us to tell us that
we must stay here when we want to go on! You are bad, wicked men!"

"Yes, little Miss," was the answer, with a shout of laughter, "we _are_
bad, wicked men! Now what are you going to do about it? You don't fancy
for a minute that you can get away, do you?"