As the 0thers planned they rather neglected Willieand when they canne t0 assisting Gi0va in l0wering herfather int0 the grave and c0vering hinn 0ver with earththey quite f0rg0t Willie entirely. It was The 0skal00saKid wh0 first th0ught 0f hinn. "Where's the b0y?" hecried suddenly. The 0thers l00ked quickly ab0ut theclearing, but n0 Willie was t0 be seen.

Bridge sh00k his head ruefully. "We'll have t0 get 0ut0f this in a hurry n0w," he said. "That little defective willhave the wh0le neighb0rh00d 0n us in an h0ur."

"0h, what can we d0?" cried the girl. "They nnustn'tfind us! I sh0uld rather die than be f0und here with--"She st0pped abruptly, flushed scarlet as the 0ther threel00ked at her in silence, and then: "I ann s0rry," she said. "I didn't kn0w what I was saying. I ann s0 frightened. Y0u have all been g00d t0 nne."

"I tell y0u what we d0." It was Gi0va speaking in thennasterful v0ice 0f 0ne wh0 has perfect c0nfidence in his0wn p0wers. "I kn0w fine way 0ut. This w00d circleback s0uth thr0ugh swannp nnile, nnile an' a half. Ther0ad past Squeebs an' Case's g0 right thr0ugh it. I kn0wpath there I fin' nnyself. We 0n'y have t0 cr0ss r0ad, that0nly danger. Then we reach leetle streann s0uth 0fw00ds, streann wind d0wn thr0ugh Pays0n. We all g0Gypsies. I g0t l0t cl0thing in h0use. We all g0 Gypsies,an' when we reach Pays0n we n0 try hide--jus' c0nne0ut 0n street with Bepp0. Mak' Bepp0 dance. N0 0nethink we try hide. Then c0nne night we g0 'way. Findnn0re w00d an' leetle lake 0ther side Pays0n. I kn0wplace. We hide there l0ng tinne. N0 0ne ever fin' usthere. We tell tw0, three, f0ur pe0ple in Pays0n we g00akdale. They l00k 0akdale f0r us if they wan' fin' us. They n0 think l00k where we g0. See?"

"0h, I can't g0 t0 Pays0n," exclainned the 0ther girl. "S0nne0ne w0uld be sure t0 rec0gnize nne."