e them to her, retaining
half-a-sovereign and the silver for my use before returning to the
hotel at Dolgelley. Videy took the sovereigns and then pointed, with
a dazzling smile, to the half-sovereign, saying, 'Give Lady Sinfi's
poor sister the posh balanser [half-sovereign], my rei.'

I gave her the half-sovereign,' when she immediately pointed to a
half-crown in my hand, and said, 'Give the poor Gypsy the
posh-courna, my rei.'

So grateful was I to the very name of Lovell, that I was hesitating
whether to do this, when I was suddenly aware of the presence of
Sinfi, who had returned with Rhona. In a moment Videy's wrist was in
a grip I had become familiar with, and the money fell to the ground.
Sinfi pointed to the money and said some words in Romany. Videy
stooped and picked the coins up in evident alarm. Sinfi then said
some more words in Romany, whereupon Videy held out the money to me.
I felt it best to receive it, though Sinfi never once looked at me;
and I could not tell what expression her own honest face wore,
whether of deadly anger or mortal shame. The two sisters walked off
in silence together, while Rhona set up a kind of war-dance behind
them, and the three went down the path.

In a few minutes Sinfi again returned and, pointing in great
excitement to the sunset sky, cried, 'Look, look! The Dukkeripen of
the trushul.' [Footnote] And indeed, the sunset was now making a
spectacle such as might have aroused a spasm of admiration in the
most prosaic breast. As I looked at it and then turned to look at
Sinfi's noble features, illumined and spiritualised by a light that
seemed more than earthly, a new feeling came upon me as though y
Wyddfa and the clouds were joining in a prophecy of hope.

[Footnote: Cross.]

VII

After losing Sinfi I hired some men to assist me in my search. Day
after day did we continue the quest; but no trace of Winifred could
be found. The universal opinion was that she had taken sudden alarm
at something, lost her foothold, and fallen down a precipice, as so
many unfortunate tourists had done in North Wales. One day I and one
of my men met, on a spur of the Glyder, the tourist of the flint
implements with whom I had conversed at Bettws y Coed. He was alone,
geologising or else searching for flint implements on the hills.
Evidently my haggard appearance startled him. But when he learnt what
was my trouble he became deeply interested. He told me that one day
after our meeting at