who employ men, women, and children in this traffic, looked
upon her as one who was well adapted for their business, and who
would probably go on without suspicion for a long time. But they were
mistaken; for she was stopped in the commission of her very first
offence, and died for it. She was of gipsy blood, Sir John--'

It might have been the effect of a passing cloud which obscured the sun,
and cast a shadow on his face; but the knight turned deadly pale. Still
he met the locksmith's eye, as before.

'She was of gipsy blood, Sir John,' repeated Gabriel, 'and had a high,
free spirit. This, and her good looks, and her lofty manner, interested
some gentlemen who were easily moved by dark eyes; and efforts were made
to save her. They might have been successful, if she would have given
them any clue to her history. But she never would, or did. There was
reason to suspect that she would make an attempt upon her life. A watch
was set upon her night and day; and from that time she never spoke
again--'

Sir John stretched out his hand towards his cup. The locksmith going on,
arrested it half-way.

--'Until she had but a minute to live. Then she broke silence, and said,
in a low firm voice which no one heard but this executioner, for all
other living creatures had retired and left her to her fate, "If I had
a dagger within these fingers and he was within my reach, I would strike
him dead before me, even now!" The man asked "Who?" She said, "The
father of her boy."'

Sir John drew back his outstretched hand, and seeing that the locksmith
paused, signed to him with easy politeness and without any new
appearance of emotion, to proceed.

'It was the first word she had ever spoken, from which it could be
understood that she had any relative on earth. "Was the child alive?" he
asked. "Yes." He asked her where it was, its name, and whether she had
any wish respecting it. She had but one, she said. It was that the boy
might live and grow, in utter ignorance of his father, so that no arts
might teach him to be gentle and forgiving. When he became a man,
she trusted to the God of their tribe to bring the father and the
son together, and revenge her through her child. He asked her other
questions, but she spoke no more. Indeed, he says, she scarcely said
this much, to him, but stood with her face turned upwards to the sky,
and never looked towards him once.'

Sir John took a pinch of snuff; glanced approvingly at an elegant litt