y soon recovers, and
faith, even in quack medicines, will often make people whole; but do you
think that he does no more than impose upon people in that way?"

"He may, or he may not; at all events, we need do no more, I suppose."

"I am not sure of that; however, we shall see. He says we may be useful
to him, and I suppose we shall be, or he would not have engaged us--we
shall soon find out."

PART ONE, CHAPTER TEN.

IN WHICH THE READER IS INTRODUCED TO SEVERAL NEW AQUAINTANCES, AND ALL
CONNECTED WITH THEM, EXCEPT BIRTH AND PARENTAGE, WHICH APPEARS TO BE THE
ONE THING WANTING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF THIS WORK.

By this time we had arrived at the lime-kiln to which we had been
directed, and we sat down on our bundles, chatting for about five
minutes, when our new acquaintance made his appearance, with something
in his hand, tied up in a handkerchief.

"You may as well put your coats into your bundles, and put on these
frocks," said he; "you will appear better among us, and be better
received, for there is a _gathering_ now, and some of them are queer
customers. However, you have nothing to fear; when once you are with my
wife and me, you are quite safe; her little finger would protect you
from five hundred."

"Your wife! who, then, is she?" inquired I, as I put my head through the
smock frock.

"She is a great personage among the gipsies. She is, by descent, one of
the heads of the tribe, and none dare to disobey her."

"And you--are you a gipsy?"

"No, and yes. By birth I am not, but by choice, and marriage, I am
admitted; but I was not born under a hedge, I can assure you, although I
very often pass a night there now--that is, when I am domestic; but do
not think that you are to remain long here; we shall leave in a few
days, and may not meet the tribe again for months, although you may see
my own family occasionally. I did not ask you to join me to pass a
gipsy's life--no, no, we must be stirring and active. Come, we are now
close to them. Do not speak as you pass the huts, until you have
entered mine. Then you may do as you please."

We turned short round, passed through a gap in the hedge, and found
ourselves on a small retired piece of common, which was studded with
about twenty or thirty low gipsy huts. The fires were alight and
provisions apparently cooking. We passed by nine or ten, and obeyed our
guide's injunctions to keep silence. At last we stopped, and perceived
ourselves to be