irs, and she felt all the safer for that,
because there was no chance of her being overtaken. But she was soon
aware, not without trembling, that there were two men coming along the
lane in front of her; she had not thought of meeting strangers, she had
been too much occupied with the idea of her friends coming after her.
The formidable strangers were two shabby-looking men with flushed faces,
one of them carrying a bundle on a stick over his shoulder; but to her
surprise, while she was dreading their disapprobation as a runaway, the
man with the bundle stopped, and in a half-whining, half-coaxing tone
asked her if she had a copper to give a poor man. Maggie had a sixpence
in her pocket, which she immediately drew out and gave this poor man
with a polite smile, hoping that he would feel very kindly toward her as
a generous person. "That's the only money I've got," she said
apologetically. "Thank you, little miss," said the man, in a less
respectful and grateful tone than Maggie anticipated, and she even
observed that he smiled and winked at his companion. She walked on
hurriedly, but was aware that the two men were standing still, probably
to look after her, and she presently heard them laughing loudly.
Suddenly it occurred to her that they might think she was an idiot; Tom
had said that her cropped hair made her look like an idiot, and it was
too painful an idea to be readily forgotten. Besides, she had no
sleeves on--only a cape and a bonnet. It was clear that she was not
likely to make a favorable impression on passengers, and she thought she
would turn into the fields again.

She turned through the first gate that was not locked, and felt a
delightful sense of privacy in creeping along by the hedgerows, after
her recent humiliating encounter. She was used to wandering about the
fields by herself, and was less timid there than on the highroad.
Sometimes she had to climb over high gates, but that was a small evil;
she was getting out of reach very fast, and she would probably soon come
within sight of Dunlow Common, or at least of some other common, for she
had heard her father say that she couldn't go very far without coming to
a common. She hoped so, for she was getting rather tired and hungry, and
until she reached the gypsies there was no definite prospect of bread
and butter. It was still broad daylight; so though it was nearly an hour
since Maggie started, there was no gathering gloom on the fields to
remind her