`No,' said Maggie, `I'm only thinking that if she isn't a very good queen you might be glad when she died, and you could choose another. If I was a queen, I'd be a very good queen, and kind to everybody.'

`Here's a bit o' nice victual, then,' said the old woman, handing to Maggie a lump of dry bread, which she had taken from a bag of scraps, and a piece of cold bacon.

`Thank you,' said Maggie, looking at the food, without taking it, `but will you give me some bread and butter and tea instead? I don't like bacon.'

`We've got no tea nor butter,' said the old woman with something like a scowl, as if she were getting tired of coaxing.

`O, a little bread and treacle would do,' said Maggie.

`We ha'n't got no treacle,' said the old woman crossly, whereupon there followed a sharp dialogue between the two woman in their unknown tongue, and one of the small sphinxes snatched at the bread-and- bacon and began to eat it. At this moment the tall girl who had gone a few yards off, came back and said something, which produced a strong effect. The old woman seeming to forget Maggie's hunger, poked the skewer into the pot with new vigour, and the younger crept under the tent, and reached out some platters and spoons. Maggie trembled a little, and was afraid the tears would come into her eyes. Meanwhile the tall girl gave a shrill cry and presently came running up the boy whom Maggie had passed as he was sleeping - a rough urchin about the age of Tom. He started at Maggie, and there ensued much incomprehensible chattering. She felt very lonely, and was quite sure she should begin to cry before long: the gypsies didn't seem to mind her at all, and she felt quite weak among them. But the springing tears were checked by a new terror, When two men came up, whose approach had been the cause of the sudden excitement. The elder of the two carried a bag, which he flung down, addressing the women in a loud and scolding tone, which they answered by a shower of treble sauciness; while a black cur ran barking up to Maggie and threw her into a tremor that only found a new cause in the curses with which the younger man called the dog off, and gave him a rap with a great stick he held in his hand.

Maggie felt that it was impossible she should ever be queen of these people, or ever communicate to them amusing and useful knowledge.

Both the men now seemed to be inquiring about Maggie, for they looked at her, and the tone of the conversation became of that pacific kind which implies curiosity on one side and the power of satisfying it on the other. At last the younger woman said in her previous deferential coaxing tone,

`This nice little lady's come to live with us: aren't you glad?'

`Ay, very glad,' said the Younger man, who was looking at Maggie's silver thimble and other small matters that had been taken from her pocket. He returned them all expect the thimble to the younger woman, with some observation, and she immediately restored them to Maggie's pocket, while the men seated themselves and began to attack the contents of the kettle - a stew of meat and potatoes - which had been taken off the fire and turned out into a yellow platter.

Maggie began to think that Tom might be right about the gypsies - they must certainly be thieves, unless the man meant to return her thimble by and by. She would willingly have given it him, for she was not at all attached to her thimble; but the idea that she was among thieves prevented her from feeling any comfort in the revival of deference and attention towards her - all thieves except Robin Hood were wicked people. The women saw she was frightened.

`We've got nothing nice for a lady to eat,' said the old woman, in her coaxing tone. `And she's so hungry, sweet little lady.'