"Why?" asked His mother again.
"Well, you see, his toes are sticking right out of his shoes," explained Pip, trying to interest His mother in the matter.
"Whose toes?" asked His mother, astonished.
Pip stopped. Now he would have to bring in the tramp, and that was part of the secret. Bother! Whatever they talked about seemed to lead back to something the Find-Outers were doing.
"It's just a poor old tramp," said Bets. Pip glared at her.
"A tramp!" said her mother. "Surely you are not making friends with people like that, Pip? "
"No," said Pip desperately. "I'm not. I'm only sorry for him, that's all. You always say, Mommy, that we should be sorry for people not so well-off as ourselves,
and help them., don't you? Well, that's why I thought of giving him some old boots, that's all."
"I see," said his mother., and Pip gave a sigh of relief. "Well, I'll find out if there is an old pair of Daddy's boots, and if there is, you shall have them. Now, do get on with your dinner."
After he had finished his very late meal, Pip escaped into the garden and went to find Bets, who was in the summer-house.