nsulted to see if she
could aid me in this matter."

"A wise woman! And where didst thou find her?"

"In London town, where she practises her arts, and many come unto
her by secret. She is veritably that which she professes, for she
told me the object of my quest ere I had told mine errand to her."

"But thou hadst told her thy name?"

"Yes, verily, I had done that."

"And knowing that, she divined all. Verily thou hast seen Esther
the witch! And this was all she knew--this was all she knew!"

Joanna's head was bent over the parchment. Her eyes were full of
fire. Her words seemed addressed rather to herself than to
Cuthbert, and they excited his ardent curiosity.

"And who is Esther? and dost thou know her? thou speakest as if
thou didst."

"All of us forest gipsies know Esther well. She is one of us,
though she has left the forest to dwell in cities. According to the
language of men, she is my aunt. She is sister to old Miriam, whom
thou sawest in the forest mill, and who would have done thee to
death an I had not interposed to save thee. And Miriam is my
mother, albeit I am her queen, and may impose my will on her."

"And does she know aught of the lost treasure?" asked Cuthbert,
with eager impatience.

"I had hoped she did," answered Joanna slowly, her eyes still bent
on the paper. "I have seen her myself since I saw thee last. I have
spoken with her on this same matter. I could not draw from her what
I strove to do; but I see now that I prepared the way, and that
when thou didst go by chance to her, she was ready for thee. But if
this is all she knows, it goes not far. Still it may help--it may
help. In a tangled web, no one may say which will be the thread
which patiently followed may unravel the skein."

"Belike she knows more than she would say," suggested Cuthbert
quickly. "If she can look into the future, sure she may look into
the past likewise--"

But Joanna stopped him by a strange gesture.

"Peace, foolish boy! Thinkest thou if gipsy lore could unravel the
riddle, that it had not long ago become known to me? We have our
gifts, our powers, our arts, and well we know how to use them be it
for good or ill. But we know full well what the limits are. And if
men know it not, it is more their blindness than our skill that
keeps them in ignorance. And if they give us more praise and wonder
than we merit, do they not also give us hatred and enmity in like
meed? Have we not gone through fire and swo