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him a box on the ear, which settled the matter, and he made no more resistance.

Off came every rag of clothing from poor Hugh; and in exchange for his things he got a pair of trousers which were all holes, and big enough for

a man.

'How am I to wear these, I should like to know?' asked he, as he dragged them on, and the top of them came up to under his arms, and his feet were buried somewhere in the legs of them. Why can't you let me wear my own?'

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'They are too good for climbing in,' said the woman, laughing again; and fetching an old ragged red handkerchief, she tied the trousers tightly round Hugh's waist, so as to leave a pile of corduroy standing up above the girdle, and rolled the legs of the trousers up to his ankles, in great things like two turbans.

Hugh could hardly help laughing as he saw himself such an object, and Harry shouted out loud. But he laughed the other side of his mouth when he also was told to take off his clothes and put on an old striped shirt. Here the sleeves had to be rolled back, and another girdle was found for Harry, which confined the shirt at the waist. 'I can't climb in these horrid things,' said

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Hugh, who had been trying to walk about. If you expect me to climb trees, you had best give me back my own clothes, for I can't go with you in these.'

'Then stay behind,' said one of the men. The little one will suit us better; you are too big.'

Hugh had wanted to go with the gipsies, and he felt disappointed when he found he was to be left behind; and as they moved away into the wood, he followed at a short distance; but being seen by one of the men, he got another box on the ears, for ear-boxing seemed the usual allowance of boys amongst the gipsies,-and Hugh turned back quicker than he had come, and found his way back to the camp by the light of the fire.

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CHAPTER XIV.

HUGH TURNS WISER.

UGH was better where he was. I think if he had known what the gipsies were going to do he would have tried to

keep away, and have nothing to say to

them more than he could help. Do you

know that gipsies generally live by stealing? They very seldom do any work notwithstanding they are such great tall fellows; and we might ask what good they are in the world if they prefer stealing other people's things to gaining their living honestly and like men.

I do not know whether gipsies believe in God, at least they cannot believe that God is angry with thieves, or they would not dare to live by theft. People do not know much about gipsies. They are a very odd people. Sometimes gipsy children have been taken to nice houses and taught, and have had everything they wanted,

but they have run away after all back to the

woods where they were born. They do not like living, as we do, in houses. They would rather even be out in the rain and the wind and the

snow.

Hugh had plenty to amuse him, although he was left in the gipsy camp. The women did not seem as if they meant to go to bed, but it had been dark for some hours now, that is, as dark as it ever is when the moon comes out every now and then. The women kept heaping wood upon the fire. I think that was to guide the men back to the place as they came home; and then they fetched from somewhere near some buckets of water and emptied them into a large tub.

One of them told Hugh he might as well work as sit there doing nothing but stare, and she made him go with her for more water. Then Hugh found that there was a little stream a short distance off, behind the trees.

A lot of dirty clothes was then brought out, and all the women began washing them. They did not wash them very thoroughly it seemed to Hugh, and they hung them all round the fire to dry, upon poles stuck into the ground.

Every now and then a child would wake in the caravan, and sometimes cry, when it was

smacked by one of the women, unless it was a very small baby, when it was nursed. Hugh thought that they seemed to think nothing but smacking would keep children quiet, and he was glad that he was not a gipsy's child.

At length, a small baby was given to Hugh to carry about, for its mother was busy hanging out clothes. Hugh looked a funny figure as he walked about in the firelight, dressed up in the enormous big trousers, and trying to keep quiet the baby; but he did not dare refuse, lest he should get another box on the ears.

After a time he grew very sleepy, and I think fell asleep for a minute once or twice as he was walking; and as the baby seemed inclined to sleep also, after a time Hugh lay down upon the turf, not far from the fire, and he and the baby slept in each other's arms, and forgot everything about the wood and the gipsy camp, and being dressed in an old pair of corduroy trousers, until he was startled and roused up by a confused noise, and sitting up, still holding the baby in his arms, he saw that all the gipsy men had returned, with the bags they carried away empty looking quite full, and with poor little Harry led by the arm by one of the men, and crying violently. When they came close to the fire the men threw down

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