“Oh, Dot!” she exclaimed, “it is the man we saw in this auto with the young Gypsy lady when we were driving home with Scalawag from Mr. 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.