said Ursula.

"Well," said I, "sad or not, there's the song that speaks of the thing,
which you give me to understand is not."

"Well, if the thing ever was," said Ursula, "it was a long time ago, and
perhaps, after all, not true."

"Then why do you sing the song?"

"I'll tell you, brother: we sings the song now and then to be a warning
to ourselves to have as little to do as possible in the way of
acquaintance with the gorgios; and a warning it is. You see how the
young woman in the song was driven out of her tent by her mother, with
all kind of disgrace and bad language; but you don't know that she was
afterwards buried alive by her cokos and pals, in an uninhabited place.
The song doesn't say it, but the story says it; for there is a story
about it, though, as I said before, it was a long time ago, and perhaps,
after all, wasn't true."

"But if such a thing were to happen at present, would the cokos and pals
bury the girl alive?"

"I can't say what they would do," said Ursula. "I suppose they are not
so strict as they were long ago; at any rate she would be driven from the
tan, and avoided by all her family and relations as a gorgio's
acquaintance, so that, perhaps, at last, she would be glad if they would
bury her alive."

"Well, I can conceive that there would be an objection on the part of the
cokos and batus that a Romany chi should form an improper acquaintance
with a gorgio, but I should think that the batus and cokos could hardly
object to the chi's entering into the honourable estate of wedlock with a
gorgio."

Ursula was silent.

"Marriage is an honourable estate, Ursula."

"Well, brother, suppose it be?"

"I don't see why a Romany chi should object to enter into the honourable
estate of wedlock with a gorgio."

"You don't, brother; don't you?"

"No," said I, "and, moreover, I am aware, notwithstanding your evasion,
Ursula, that marriages and connections now and then occur between gorgios
and Romany chies; the result of which is the mixed breed, called half-and-
half, which is at present travelling about England, and to which the
Flaming Tinman belongs, otherwise called Anselo Herne."

"As for the half-and-halfs," said Ursula, "they are a bad set; and there
is not a worse blackguard in England than Anselo Herne."

"All what you say may be very true, Ursula, but you admit that there are
half-and-halfs."

"The more's the pity, brother."

"Pity or not, you admit the fact; but how do you