d articles of gipsy-gear. The foremost was conducted
by a middle-aged woman of tall, commanding aspect, and expression both
cunning and fierce. She walked by the donkey's head carrying a short
stick, with which she struck him now and then, but which she oftener
waved over his head like the truncheon of an excited marshal on the
battle-field, accompanying its movements now with loud cries to the
animal, now with loud response to the chaff of the omnibus conductor,
the dray driver, and the tradesmen in carts about her. She was followed
by a very handsome, olive-complexioned, wild-looking young woman, with
her black hair done up in a red handkerchief, who conducted her donkey
more quietly. Both seemed as much at home in the roar of Gracechurch
Street as if they had been crossing a wild common. A loutish-looking
young man brought up the rear with the third donkey. From the bundles on
the foremost cart peeped a lovely, fair-haired, English-looking child.

Robert took all this in in a moment. The same moment Shargar's spell was
broken.

'Lord, it is my mither!' he cried, and darted under a horse's neck into
the middle of the ruck.

He needled his way through till he reached the woman. She was swearing
at a cabman whose wheel had caught the point of her donkey's shaft, and
was hauling him round. Heedless of everything, Shargar threw his arms
about her, crying,

'Mither! mither!'

'Nane o' yer blastit humbug!' she exclaimed, as, with a vigorous throw
and a wriggle, she freed herself from his embrace and pushed him away.

The moment she had him at arm's length, however, her hand closed upon
his arm, and her other hand went up to her brow. From underneath it her
eyes shot up and down him from head to foot, and he could feel her hand
closing and relaxing and closing again, as if she were trying to force
her long nails into his flesh. He stood motionless, waiting the result
of her scrutiny, utterly unconscious that he caused a congestion in the
veins of London, for every vehicle within sight of the pair had stopped.
Falconer said a strange silence fell upon the street, as if all the
things in it had been turned into shadows.

A rough voice, which sounded as if all London must have heard it, broke
the silence. It was the voice of the cabman who had been in altercation
with the woman. Bursting into an insulting laugh, he used words with
regard to her which it is better to leave unrecorded. The same instant
Shargar freed himse