“I—I wish your father would come and take us all home then,” went on Tess, with another yawn.
“Well,” admitted Sammy, “I wish he would, too. Crickey! but it’s awful to have girls along, whether you are a pirate or a Gypsy.”
“You needn’t talk!” snapped Tess, quite tart for her. “We did not ask to come. And you were here ‘fore we got here. And now you can’t get away any more than Dot and I can.”
“Sh!” advised Sammy again, and earnestly. “I got an idea.”
“What is it?” asked Tess, without much curiosity.
“This here window in front!” whispered the boy. “We can open it. It is all dark at that end of the van. If we can slide out on to the seat we’ll climb down in the dark and get into the woods. I know the way to the road. I can see a patch of it through the window. What say?”
“But Dot? She sleeps so hard,” breathed Tess.
“We can poke her through the window on to the seat. Then we will crawl through. If she doesn’t wake up and holler—”
“I’ll stop her from hollering,” agreed Tess firmly. “We’ll try it, Sammy, before those awful women get back into the van.”
Fortunately for the attempt of the captives their own supper had been dispatched with promptness. The Gypsies were still sitting about over the meal when Sammy opened that front window in the van.