Part 30 (2/2)

Howbridge's the other day. Don't you remember?”

”Yes,” said Dot, with a sigh. ”I guess it is the same one. Oh, dear, me!”

For the nearer the time came to give up the silver bracelet, the worse Dot felt about it.

The big Gypsy looked around at the two little girls and smiled broadly.

”You leetle ladies tak' ride with Beeg Jeem?” he asked. ”You go to see the poor Gypsy women who let you have the fine bracelet to play with?

Yes?”

”He knows all about it, Tess,” murmured Dot.

”Yes, we will give them back the bracelet,” Tess said firmly to the Gypsy man. ”But we will not give it up to anybody else.”

”Get right into my car,” said Big Jim, reaching back to open the tonneau door. ”You shall be taken to the camp and there find the ones who gave you the bracelet. Sure!”

There was something quite ”grownupish” in thus getting into the big car all alone, and Tess and Dot were rather thrilled as they seated themselves on the back seat and the Gypsy drove them away.

Fifteen minutes or so later Agnes came to this very corner and had her unpleasant interview with Miguel Costello. But of course by that time the children were far away.

The big Gypsy drove them very rapidly and by lonely roads into a part of the country that Tess and Dot never remembered having seen before.

Whenever he saw anybody on the road, either afoot or in other cars, Big Jim increased his speed and flashed by them so that there was little likelihood of these other people seeing that the two little girls were other than Gypsy girls.

He did nothing to frighten Tess and Dot. Indeed, he was so smiling and so pleasant that they enjoyed the drive immensely and came finally in a state of keen enjoyment to the camp which was made a little back from the highway.

”Well, if we have to give up the bracelet,” sighed Tess, as they got out of the car, ”we can say that we have had a fine ride.”

”That is all right. But how will my Alice-doll feel when she finds out she can't wear that pretty belt again?” said Dot.

There were many people in the camp, both men and women and children.

The latter kept at a distance from Tess and Dot, but stared at them very curiously. They kept the dogs away from the visitors, too, and the little girls were glad of that.

”Where can we find the two ladies that--that sold us the basket?” asked Tess politely, of Big Jim.

”You look around, leetle ladies. You find,” he a.s.sured them.

There were four or five motor vans of good size in which the Gypsies evidently lived while they were traveling. But there were several tents set up as well. It was a big camp.

Timidly at first the two sisters, hand in hand, the silver bracelet firmly clutched inside Tess's dress against her side, began walking about. They tried to ask questions about the women they sought; but n.o.body seemed to understand. They all smiled and shook their heads.

”Dear me! it must be dreadful to be born a foreigner,” Dot finally said. ”How can they make themselves understood _at all_?”

”But they seem to be very pleasant persons,” Tess rejoined decidedly.

<script>