“Do you keep a farm, ma’am?”

Mrs. Perry smiled and sighed.  “No, child; a few hens don’t make a farm.  I had a cow at one time, but all that’s left is the house she lived in.  Now, draw over to the table and have your supper.”

At any other time Huldah would have been shy of eating before a stranger, for in the caravan good manners were only a subject for sneers and laughter, and she remembered enough of her mother’s teaching to know how shocking to ordinary eyes Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s behaviour would have seemed.  To-night, though, she was too ravenously hungry for shyness to have much play.  She tried to remember all she could of what her mother had taught her, and got through fairly creditably.

“Now,” said Mrs. Perry, when that wonderful, glorious meal was at last ended, “where did you think of going for the night?”

“I don’t know,” sighed Huldah, wistfully.  “I hadn’t thought of anywhere perticler.  I daresay there’s a rick or a hedge we can lay down under.  I don’t mind where I go, so long as Uncle Tom don’t find us.”

“Well, I can’t give you a bed here.  I’ve only this room and my bedroom, and—­and—­” Mrs. Perry did not like to explain that she was too nervous, and too doubtful of Huldah’s honesty to leave her alone in the kitchen, while she herself went to bed and to sleep.  To her mind all gipsies, and all gipsy children, were thieves, and though she was interested in Huldah, and felt very sorry for her, she had, after all, only known her about an hour, and knew nothing of her past history.  In her heart she could not as yet believe all her story, or bring herself to trust her.

The child instinctively felt something of this distrust, and it hurt her.  Her eyes filled, but she forced back the tears, and spoke out bravely.

“I shall do all right, thank you, ma’am.  We’ll be going on again, now.  I ain’t afraid of nothing when I’ve got Dick with me, and—­and thank you, ma’am, for all you’ve given us; but I wish you’d ’ave one of my baskets, ma’am, please!  I can easy make another, and I’d be glad if you would, please, ma’am.”

Mrs. Perry felt a prick of conscience, and her heart melted.  She could see that the child’s feelings were hurt, and that her self-respect made her anxious to pay for all they had received.

“If you wouldn’t mind sleeping in the barn in the garden, you and your dog, you’re welcome.  It’s as clean as can be, and there’s plenty of nice straw there, to make a comfortable bed for you.  You’d be under shelter there, and if so be as your uncle should come this way, he’d never find you there.”

Instead of conferring a favour, she found herself almost asking the child to stay, and to Huldah the temptation was too great to be resisted.  To be safe from her uncle!  She felt she could bear anything, if she could only for a few hours feel quite safe.  She was so tired, too, so dead-tired, she did not know, in spite of her brave words, how she could possibly drag her weary body a step further.