"You can see they are not the prints of men's shoes," said Tom, confidently.
"Right ye air! And here's another woman's shoe—only larger. They went away with some woman, that's sure."
"A woman?" muttered Tom, greatly amazed. "Whoever could she be—and where have they gone with her?"
CHAPTER XII
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY
Ruth finally slept in the Gypsy van as sweetly as though she were in her own little bed in the gable room at the Red Mill. She was bodily wearied, and she had lost herself while yet she was watching the Gypsy Queen worshipping the pearl necklace, and fearing that the man with the evil eyes was peering into the interior of the van.
A hundred noises of the Gypsy camp awakened her when the sun was scarcely showing his face. Dogs barked and scampered about; horses neighed and stamped; roosters crowed and hens cackled. The children were crying, or laughing, and the women chattering as they went about the getting of breakfast at the fires.
The fires crackled; the men sat upon the van tongues cleaning harness after the rain and mud of the afternoon before. The boys were polishing the coats of the beautiful horses, till they shone again.