the wire, so as to look about us?' said Hugh.

They tried and found they could. Hugh gave Harry the end of the candle to hold, and they both moved softly to the door. It was fastened only by a latch, and the boys went into the inner room. There were two beds on the floor of this inner room, and in the beds were several children fast asleep.

'I wonder if I laid the baby down in the bed if it would wake it?'

'Try,' said Harry.

Hugh put down the child, and it still slept on; so, after watching it for a few moments, they went on with their search. There were several windows, but the boys found that neither of those at the sides of the caravan opened at all. There was another door at the back, but it was locked; and above the door there was a window. Hugh tried it, and found that it would open.

'Now, I wonder if they are asleep,' said he, meaning the gipsies outside. 'I shouldn't dare try to get away if they are still awake.'

The singing had stopped some time, so it might be that the gipsies were asleep.

Hugh climbed over the sleeping children carefully and looked out of one of the side windows. The men were all lying down in different ways, and by the light of the fire they looked asleep. Then Hugh put his head through the open window, and believed he heard, or fancied he heard, nothing but

snores.

'Do you think we can squeeze through?' asked he of his brother.

'I can, I am sure,' answered Harry. 'I do not know about you.'

'I can but try, Harry; but how ever shall we climb up to reach the window?'

'I saw a stool in the next room. I will fetch it.'

Harry did so, and the stool was placed against the window.

'You first,' said Harry; 'for if you stick half-way, it will be of no use my trying.'

So Hugh went first, and happily he did not stick half-way; but he nearly fell on his head

on the other side. He made such a noise, that he was afraid he should wake the gipsies; but they slept on, and presently Harry climbed after him.

Poor little Harry no sooner began to squeeze himself through the window than the gipsies, two of them, woke up; they had been half-waked by the noise Hugh had made.

Up jumped a man, calling out 'Hallo!' and Hugh had only time to walk into the shade of the trees, when the gipsy man ran to the caravan, and caught Harry hanging halfway out of the window. He pulled him out altogether, and set him on his feet.

'Where's the other one?' asked he.

'Run away,' said Harry, seeing that his brother was safe.

So they tied Harry to the trunk of one of the trees, so that he should not run away too, and telling him that he should get a beating presently, they began to rouse themselves up and be very busy, for the day was breaking fast. They could not have had more than

two hours' sleep at the most; for now it was only beginning to be daylight. But perhaps gipsies do not want so much sleep as other people. Hugh and Harry wished that they did.

CHAPTER XVI.

LEFT BEHIND.

HE gipsies were going away from the place where they had spent the night. Hugh, from where he was hidden amongst the trees, could guess that; for they drew out the caravan, and a man led a horse from somewhere out of the way where he had been tethered, and they put the horse into the shafts, and all the time the women were packing away the thingshanging pots one side, and kettles another, and baskets sticking out anywhere, as you may have seen caravans. Then the children crawled out and ran about. They did not seem to require any washing or dressing; at any rate, they did not get any. I think they