“Nothing of the kind!” replied Bess indignantly. “I have eyes. And it was a woman, too. I caught a glimpse of her skirts.”
“Well, suppose it is,” observed Jack nonchalantly. “She has a right to be there if she wants to. The woods are free.”
“I wish you’d get down and see,” pleaded Cora.
“Oh, very well,” replied Jack resignedly. “Since you girls are determined to butt in, I suppose I’ll have to be the goat.”
He got down from the car, but at that moment the bushes parted, and a girl stepped out into the road. She was gaily dressed and had a tambourine in her hand.
But there was no suggestion of gaiety in her face, which was distressed and bore traces of recent tears.
Cora uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure.
“Why,” she cried, “it’s the gypsy girl!”
The girl looked up and tried to smile, but it was a forlorn attempt.
The girls stepped down from the car and gathered about her. The boys would have followed, but Cora interposed.