her tree that Raymonde could see the flap of a coat through
the opening; then they turned, and went in the direction of the voice.
Raymonde drew a long breath of intense relief, and peeped out. The man
was tacking down a little incline towards the brook, guided by a
further call.

"I've seen he's here, and I know he's going down there to meet her,"
thought Raymonde. "It's time for me to act."

She slipped from the tree, ran nearer to the edge of the wood, and
gave the peculiar blackbird-like whistle which the Romany woman had
taught her. Its effect was immediate. Within ten seconds one of the
gipsy boys ran up to her, and she told him briefly what had occurred.

"I'll pass the signal on," he replied. "There's a ring of us all round
the wood. We won't let him go, you bet!"

He gave a low cry like the hooting of an owl, which was at once
answered from the right and the left.

"That means 'close the ring'," he explained. "We've all sorts of calls
that we understand and talk to each other by when we're in the woods.
They'll all be moving on now."

The gipsy boy went forward, and Raymonde, with her heart again
thumping wildly, followed at a little distance. This was indeed an
adventure. She wondered where Aveline was, and if she were equally
frightened. She wished she had not left her friend alone.

The gipsies, well versed in wood-craft, walked as silently as hunters
stalking a buck. She would not have known they were within a mile of
her, had she not been told. Her boy guide had vanished temporarily
among the bushes. She stood still for a few minutes, uncertain what to
do.

Then there was a shout, and a sound of running footsteps crashing
through the bushes, excited voices called, and presently between the
trees came five or six of the gipsies hauling a man whose arms they
had already bound with a rope. The Romany woman, herself as strong as
any man, was helping with apparent gusto. When she saw Raymonde she
ran to her.

"We've got him right enough, lady!" she exclaimed triumphantly.
"They're going to take him to the farm, and borrow a trap to take him
to the jail at Ledcombe. We nabbed him by the brook as neat as
anything. The other young lady's over there."

"Aveline! Aveline!" called Raymonde, rushing in pursuit of her
friend.

The two girls clung to each other eagerly. They were both thoroughly
frightened.

"Let's go back to the camp," gasped Aveline. "I daren't stay here any
longer. Oh! I was terrifie