echo."

"Try it again," suggested Flossie, when they had remained quietly in the
darkness for a time. And during that time they had not heard the
strange voice calling. It seemed to have been hushed after the "echo,"
if that is what it was, made answer. "Call again," Flossie begged her
brother. Once more he called:

"Hello! Hello! Hello!"

"Well, what do you want?" back came a voice in question. This time there
was no doubt about its not being an echo. It had not repeated a single
word that Freddie had cried.

"Oh, how funny!" cried Flossie. "What makes it do that?"

Before Freddie could answer, even if he had known what to say, the two
children saw a light coming toward them. It was the light of a lantern,
bobbing about in the darkness, and because it was a light, which chased
away some of the gloom, they were glad, even though they had been a bit
frightened by the queer voice and the echo which did not repeat words as
the other echo had done.

"Oh, maybe it's daddy and Bert come to look for us!" cried Flossie
eagerly.

Freddie thought the same thing, for he called out:

"Here we are, Daddy!"

But, to the surprise and disappointment of the children, a surly voice
answered them:

"I'm not your father! Who are you, anyhow, and what are you doing in
this cave?"

Flossie and Freddie, clinging to each other, shrank back in fear. Then,
as the light came nearer, they saw that the lantern was carried by a
tall man--a man with a very dark face. He had gold rings in his ears, on
his feet were big boots, and around his neck was a bright yellow
handkerchief.

"Oh!" gasped Flossie. "Oh, he--he's a gypsy!"

Freddie saw it, too. The man seemed surprised to see the children. He
gave a sort of grunt, held the lantern up to their faces, and exclaimed:

"Why, there's two of 'em!"

"Yes, we--we're twins!" stammered Flossie.

"Twins are always two," Freddie added, thinking, perhaps, that the gypsy
man did not know that.

"Twins, eh?" remarked the man in a questioning voice.

"The Bobbsey Twins," said Freddie. "We came from our camp, and we----"

"How'd you get in this cave? That's what I want to know!" cried the man,
and he spoke harshly. "Tell me, how did you get here?" he asked, and he
held the lantern in front of the faces of the two little children.

"We--we fell in here!" said Freddie, pushing Flossie behind him. He felt
that he must look after his little sister and protect her.

"Fell in?" cried the man.