“The Saints preserve us,” whispered Eileen, “if those aren’t our own two geese! Do you see those black feathers in their wings?”
“He’s the thief of the world,” said Larry.
He forgot to be frightened because he was so angry, and he spoke right out loud! He stood up and shook his fist at the Tinker. His head showed over the top of the wall. Eileen jerked him down.
“Whist now, Larry darling,” she begged. “If the dog sees you once he’ll tear you to pieces.”
Larry dropped behind the wall again, and they watched the Tinker’s wife loosen the string about the legs of the geese, and tie them by a long cord to the bush, beside the little pig. Then all the Tinker people gathered around the pot and began to eat their supper.
The baby and the dog were on the ground playing together. The Twins could hear the shouts of the baby, and the barks of the dog.
It was quite dusk by this time, but the moon grew brighter and brighter in the sky, and the flames of the Tinkers’ fire glowed more and more red, as the night came on.
“Sure, it isn’t going to get real dark at all,” whispered Larry.
“Then we’d better be going now,” said Eileen, “for the Tinkers are eating their supper, and their backs are towards the road, and we’ll make hardly a taste of noise with our bare feet.”
They crept along behind the rocks, and over the wall. “Now,” whispered Larry, “slip along until we’re right beside them, and then run like the wind!”