the tall girl who was feeding the donkey, sat up and stared at her without offering any salutation. At last, the old woman said,

`What, my pretty lady, are you come to stay with us? Sit ye down, and tell us where you come from.'

It was just like a story: Maggie liked to be called pretty lady and treated in this way. She sat down and said,

`I'm come from home, because I'm unhappy, and I mean to be a gypsy. I'll live with you, if you like, and I can teach you a great many things.'

`Such a clever little lady,' said the woman with the baby, sitting down by Maggie, and allowing baby to crawl, `and such a pritty bonnet and frock,' she added, taking off Maggie's bonnet and looking at it while she made an observation to the old woman, in the unknown language. The tall girl snatched the bonnet and put it on her own head hind-foremost with a grin; but Maggie was determined not to show any weakness on this subject, as if she were susceptible about her bonnet.

`I don't want to wear a bonnet,' she said, `I'd rather wear a red handkerchief, like yours' (looking at her friend by her side). `My hair was quite long till yesterday, when I cut it off: but I dare say it will grow again very soon,' she added apologetically, thinking it probable the gypsies had a strong prejudice in favour of long hair. And Maggie had forgotten even her hunger at that moment in the desire to conciliate gypsy opinion.

`O what a nice little lady - and rich, I'm sure,' said the old woman. `Didn't you live in a beautiful house at home?'

`Yes, my home is pretty, and I'm very fond of the river where we go fishing - but I'm often very unhappy. I should have liked to bring my books with me, but I came away in a hurry, you know. But I can tell you almost everything there is in my books, I've read them so many times - and that will amuse you. And I can tell you something about Geography too - that's about the world we live in - very useful and interesting. Did you ever hear about Columbus?'

Maggie's eyes had begun to sparkle and her cheeks to flush - she was really beginning to instruct the gypsies, and gaining great influence over them. The gypsies themselves were not without amazement at this talk, though their attention was divided by the contents of Maggie's pocket, which the friend at her right hand had by this time emptied, without attracting her notice.

`Is that where you live, my little lady?' said the old woman, at the mention of Columbus.

`O no!' said Maggie, with some pity, `Columbus was a very wonderful man, who found out half the world and they put chains on him and treated him very badly, you know - it's in my Catechism of Geography - but Perhaps it's rather too long to tell before tea... .I want my tea so.'

The last words burst from Maggie, in spite of herself, with a sudden drop from patronising instruction to simple peevishness.

`Why, she's hungry, poor little lady,' said the younger woman. `Give her some o' the cold victual. You've been walking a good way, I'll be bound, my dear. Where's your home?'

`It's Dorlcote Mill, a good way off,' said Maggie. `My father is Mr Tulliver, but we mustn't let him know where I am, else he'll fetch me home again. Where does the queen of the gypsies live?'

`What! do you want to go to her, my little lady?' said the younger woman. The tall girl, meanwhile, was constantly staring at Maggie and grinning. Her manners were certainly not agreeable.