tegist. She understood how to handle the big gypsy, evidently. And a
moment later Bessie, her nerves quivering, all alert as she waited for
the signal, heard the notes of Lolla's song. At once she rushed down,
broke through the tangled growth, and was at Dolly's side, cutting away
at the cords that bound Dolly, and, first of all, tearing the
handkerchief from her mouth.

"It's all right now, we're safe, Dolly. Only you'll have to come
quickly, dear, when I get you free. There, that's it. Are you stiff? Can
you Stand up?"

"I guess so," gasped Dolly. "Oh, I'd do anything to get away from here.
Bessie, look!"

Bessie turned, to face Peter and Lolla, their faces twisted into
malignant grins. Lolla had betrayed her!

CHAPTER XI

THE MYSTERIOUS VOICE

For a moment Bessie stared at the two gypsies, their eyes glowing with
malicious triumph, and delight at her shocked face, in such dazed
astonishment that she could not speak at all. She had been completely
outwitted and hoodwinked. She had trusted Lolla utterly; had made up her
mind that the girl's jealousy was not feigned.

Even now, for a wild moment, the thought flashed through her mind that
perhaps Lolla had been unable to help herself; that Peter might have
insisted on coming back, and that Lolla was forced, in order to be of
help later on, to seem to fall in with his plans.

But Lolla herself soon robbed her of the comfort that lay in such a
thought.

"You thought I would betray my people!" she cried, shrilly. "We do not
do that; no, no! Ah, but it was easy to deceive you! When I saw you I
knew you would be dangerous. I could not hold you by force until John
came, I had to trick you. I thought we would catch you when you went up
there. I did not think you would be brave enough to go down the rocks."

Bessie said not a word, but only clung to Dolly's hand and stared at the
treacherous gypsy.

"So then, when you had gone, I had to find you again, and send word to
Peter to do as I said, so that we could catch you, and stop you from
going to your friends and telling them where we had hidden your friend
who is there with you now. Now we have two, instead of one. Oh, I have
done well, have I not, Peter?"

Peter grinned, and grunted something in his own tongue that made Lolla
smile.

"Tie them up again, Peter," said Lolla, looking viciously at Bessie, and
obviously gloating over the way in which she had tricked the American
girl. And Peter, nothing loa