ootnote: Hedgehog.]

About the truth of this last statement there could be no doubt, for
her face was twitching violently in her efforts to keep down her
emotion.

'And did you follow her?' said the landlord.

'Not I; what was the good?'

'But what did you do, Sinfi?'

'What did I do? Well, don't you mind me comin' here one night and
buyin' a couple of blankets off you, and some bread and meat and
things?'

'In course I do, Sinfi, and you said you wanted them for the vans.'

The Gypsy smiled and said, 'I knowed she was bound to come back, so
I pulls up the window and in I gets, and then opens the door and off
I comes to you, as bein' the nearest neighbour, for the blankets and
things, and I puts 'em in the house, and I leaves the door uncatched,
and I hides myself behind the house, and, sure enough, back she
comes, poor thing! I hears her kick, kick, kickin' at the door, and
then I hears her go in when she finds it give way. So I waits a good
while, till I thinks she's eat some o' the vittles and gone to sleep
maybe, and then round the house I creeps, and in the door I peeps,
and soon I hears her breathin' soft, and then I shuts the door and
goes away to the place.' [Footnote]

[Footnote: Camping-place.]

'But why didn't you tell _us_ all this, Sinfi?' asked the landlord.
'My wife would ha' went and seen arter her, and we wouldn't ha'
touched a farthin' for they blankets and things, not we, Sinfi, not
we.'

'Ah, you _would_, though,' said the girl, ''cause I'd ha' _made_ you
take it. Winnie Wynne was the only one on 'em, Gorgio or Gorgie, ever
I liked, and nobody's got no right to see arter her only me, and
that's why I'm about here _now_, if you _must_ know; but nobody's
got no right to see arter her only me, and nobody sha'n't nuther.
They might go and skear her to run up the hills, and she might dash
herself all to flactions in no time.'

'Don't take on so, Sinfi,' said the landlord. 'When they are in that
way they allus turns agin them as they was fond on.'

'Then you noticed as she was fond o' me, Mr. Blyth,' said the girl
with great earnestness.

'Of course she was fond on you, Sinfi; everybody knows that.'

'Yes,' said the girl, now much affected, '_every_ body knowed it,
_every_ body knowed as she was fond o' me. And to see her look at me
like _that_--it was a cruel sight, Mr. Blyth, I can tell you. Such a
look you never see'd in all your life, Mr. Blyth.'

'Then I take it she's in the house