l be well, and if I cannot eat I will pretend to.
Lately I have almost choked on my food." Cora sipped the milk and then
fell back exhausted.

"I nearly forgot your illness, I became so excited with our plans. Do
you know when you fainted they were all very much frightened? They
would not like to have you die!"

"But they might easily bury me. I should think that would be safer."

"No, it is very hard to bury one. Somehow they find the dead more
difficult to hide than they do the living. I guess the good spirits
take care of the dead."

"And we must take care of ourselves! Well, that may be. At any rate,
I am glad I did not die. Oh, Helka, if you only could know my brother
Jack. He is the noblest boy! And our girls! You know, we are called
the motor girls, don't you?"

"And you all own automobiles! I have never been in an automobile in my
life," sighed Helka.

"But you are going to ride in mine--in the _Whirlwind_! Doesn't that
name suit you? It sounds so like your gypsy names. Why did you say
they call you Helka?"

"Well, I wanted something Polish. Holka means girl, so I changed it a
little. My father called me his Holka."

"How do you know that?"

"From my mother's old letters. She told me as much as she wanted me to
know. She said I was not all a gypsy, but I might choose my life when
I grew up. She left me with a very kind gypsy nurse, but when she
died--they took me to that horrible Mother Hull."

"What a pity your mother should have trusted them. Well, Helka, when
we find David, he will find your father. What was his name?"

"Some day I will show you the letter, then you will know all my strange
history. My music I inherited. My father was a fine musician."

The winds of the White Mountains sang a song of tired summer. The
leaves brushed the windows, and the two girls fell to dreaming.

Cora thought of Jack, of Ed and of Walter; then of the dear, darling
girls! Oh, what would she not give for one moment with them?

Helka dreamed of David--of the handsome boy who had risked his life to
get a note to her; then of how he followed her to America, and how he
had, ever since, sent her those letters!

Yes, she must risk all for freedom!

CHAPTER XXVI

SURPRISES

"Some one wants Dr. Robbins on the 'phone."

The hall boy brought the message. Dr. Robbins jumped up from her book
and hurried to the hall telephone.

"Yes. Hello! That you, Leland?"

"Yes, dear. So