t her, perfectly unconscious.
Certainly she did not appear as if her youth was returning; she looked
far more as if death had overtaken her. Minetta stood over her, and as
we were going, applied the sponge once more to her nostrils.

"`She is not dying, I trust?' said I.

"`Oh, no, no!' answered Minetta, laughing. `She will come very soon to
herself, and then sit quiet, indulging in the fancy that she is growing
young again, forgetting all about her charge and us. When she finds
that this bird has flown, she will give such a confused account of the
matter, that no one will know what has occurred. Good-bye, old mother--
you do look very young, certainly!' Minetta laughed in a peculiar
self-satisfied way as she said this.

"Minetta having thrown her own cloak over Aneouta, which much assisted
in disguising her, we hurried towards the copse where we had left the
horses. Anxiously we looked around on every side to notice if any one
was watching us, but the peasants were in the fields, and we carefully
avoided the high road and the main street of the village. We found the
lad with the horses all safe--no one had come near him. Things may be
done in a thinly-peopled country which could not occur in the denser
population of a town. Taking up Aneouta on the horse before me, away we
galloped--my heart lighter than it had been for many a year. Still I
knew that the time might be far distant when I might hope to live with
her in peace and security.

"We were cordially welcomed by the Zingari chief and his people, who
seemed to take an especial interest in the achievement we had
accomplished. Its success was, I confess, entirely owing to the tact
and adroitness of Minetta. The means she took were, however, not such
as in my calmer moments I could in my conscience approve of.

"The Zingari chief received Aneouta as a daughter. `You shall eat of my
bread and dwell in my tent, and occupy the place of one who is lost to
me, till your betrothed comes to claim you,' said he, taking her hand.
`Minetta will be your companion, and she will tell you many things to
make the hours pass lightly away.'

"Soon after we reached the encampment the orders were given to strike
the tents, that we might remove to some distance before nightfall. Of
course we knew that directly Gavrillo, the steward, returned, he would
make every effort to discover what had become of Aneouta. The chief had
placed her carefully in a covered waggon, wh