hing but cry. It
would not touch a morsel of anything. The only pleasant look that came
upon its countenance was as it was leaving. As the poor child was
leaving the tent she would not kiss her mother or say the usual
"Good-bye" as she went away. This poor woman, as in the case of the
woman at Hackney, said she could tell me a lot of things, which she would
some time, and said, "Gipsy life ought to be put a stop to, for there was
something about it more than people knew," and I thoroughly believe what
this poor woman says. It is my firm conviction that there is much more
in connection with Gipsy life than many people imagine, or is dreamt of
in their philosophy. There is a substratum of iniquity lower than any
writers have ever touched. There are certain things in connection with
their dark lives, hidden and veiled by their slang language, that may not
come out in my day, but most surely daylight will be shed upon them some
day. They will kill and murder each other, fight and quarrel like
hyenas, but certain things they will not divulge, and so long as the
well-being of society is not in danger I suppose we have no right to
interfere. A query arises here. Their past actions back me up in this
theory. Upon Mitcham Common last week there were nearly two hundred
tents and vans. In one tent, which may be considered a specimen of many
others, there were two men and their wives, and about twelve children of
both sexes and of all ages. In another tent there were nine children of
both sexes and all ages, some of them men and women, and for the life of
me I cannot tell how they are all packed when they sleep--I suppose like
herrings in a box, pell-mell, "all of a heap." One of these Gipsy young
women was a model, and has her time pretty much occupied during the day.
I have been among house-dwelling Gipsies in the Midland counties, and
have found twelve to fifteen men, women, and children, squatting about on
the floor, which they used as a workshop, sitting-room, drawing-room, and
bed-room; although there was a bed-room up-stairs it was not often
used--so I was told by the landlady.

There is much more sickness among the Gipsies than is generally known,
especially among the children. They have strong faith in herbs; the
principal being chicken-weed, groundsel, elder leaves, rue, wild sage,
love-wort, agrimony, buckbean, wood-betony, and others; these they boil
in a saucepan like they would cabbages, and then drink t