the satoros czijanyok, or tented
Gypsies. The Lovells being the darkest of all the Gypsies of Great
Britain (and the most handsome, hence called Kaulo Camloes), it was
easy to make out an affinity closer than common between the Lovells
and the Hungarian musicians. Sinfi heard much talk among the
Hungarians of the splendours of the early leaders of the continental
Romanies. She was told of Romany kings, dukes, and counts. She
accepted, with that entire faith which characterised her, the stories
of the exploits of Duke Michael, Duke Andreas, Duke Panuel, and the
rest. It only needed a hint from one of her continental friends, that
her father, Panuel Lovell, was probably a descendant of Duke Panuel,
for Sinfi to consider him a Duke. From that moment she felt as
strongly as any Gorgie ever felt the fine sentiment expressed in the
phrase, _noblesse oblige_; and to hear her say, 'I'm a duke's chavi
[daughter], and mustn't do so and so,' was a delightful and
refreshing experience to me. Poor Panuel groaned under these honours,
for Sinfi insisted now on his dressing in a brown velveteen coat,
scarlet waistcoat with gold coins for buttons, and the high-crowned,
ribbon-bedizened hat which prosperous Gypsies once used to wear. She
seemed to consider that her sister Videy (whose tastes were low for a
Welsh Gypsy) did not belong to the high aristocracy, though born of
the same father and mother. Moreover, 'dook' in Romanes means spirit,
ghost, and very likely Sinfi found some power of association in this
fact; for Videy was a born sceptic.

One of the special charms of Gypsy life is that a man fully admitted
into the Romany brotherhood can be on terms of close intimacy with a
Gypsy girl without awaking the smallest suspicion of love-making or
flirtation; at least it was so in my time.

Under my father's will, a considerable legacy had come to me, and,
after going to London to receive this, I made the circuit of the West
of England with Sinfi's people. No sign whatever of Winifred did I
find in any of the camps. I was for returning to Wales, where my
thoughts always were; but I could not expect Sinfi to leave her
family, so I started thither alone, leaving my waggon in their
charge. Before I reached Wales, however, I met in the eastern part of
Cheshire, not far from Moreton Hall, some English Lees, with whom I
got into talk about the Hungarian musicians, who were here then on
another flying visit to England. Something that dropped