Another long pause, and then another long recital in gibberish by the old woman, broken by the same coughing and groaning as before. Then the man said—
“Stand up, and hold your hands above your head.”
Bilk obeyed.
“You want to know how to escape the peril?” said the man.
Bilk, with his hands still up, nodded.
“To-night at nine o’clock you will hear a bell.”
Again Bilk nodded. Fancy the gipsies knowing that!
“You will go up to a small room with a chair and a bed in it, and undress.”
A pause, and another nod from the astonished Bilk.
“You will put on a long white robe coming down to your ankles. At half-past nine the place will be dark—as black as pitch.”