Dick and Brownie | Page 7

that wonderful, glorious meal was at last
ended, "where did you think of going for the night?"
"I don't know," sighed Huldah, wistfully. "I hadn't thought of anywhere
perticler. I daresay there's a rick or a hedge we can lay down under. I
don't mind where I go, so long as Uncle Tom don't find us."
"Well, I can't give you a bed here. I've only this room and my bedroom,
and--and--" Mrs. Perry did not like to explain that she was too nervous,
and too doubtful of Huldah's honesty to leave her alone in the kitchen,
while she herself went to bed and to sleep. To her mind all gipsies, and
all gipsy children, were thieves, and though she was interested in
Huldah, and felt very sorry for her, she had, after all, only known her
about an hour, and knew nothing of her past history. In her heart she
could not as yet believe all her story, or bring herself to trust her.
The child instinctively felt something of this distrust, and it hurt her.
Her eyes filled, but she forced back the tears, and spoke out bravely.
"I shall do all right, thank you, ma'am. We'll be going on again, now. I
ain't afraid of nothing when I've got Dick with me, and--and thank you,

ma'am, for all you've given us; but I wish you'd 'ave one of my baskets,
ma'am, please! I can easy make another, and I'd be glad if you would,
please, ma'am."
Mrs. Perry felt a prick of conscience, and her heart melted. She could
see that the child's feelings were hurt, and that her self-respect made
her anxious to pay for all they had received.
"If you wouldn't mind sleeping in the barn in the garden, you and your
dog, you're welcome. It's as clean as can be, and there's plenty of nice
straw there, to make a comfortable bed for you. You'd be under shelter
there, and if so be as your uncle should come this way, he'd never find
you there."
Instead of conferring a favour, she found herself almost asking the
child to stay, and to Huldah the temptation was too great to be resisted.
To be safe from her uncle! She felt she could bear anything, if she
could only for a few hours feel quite safe. She was so tired, too, so
dead-tired, she did not know, in spite of her brave words, how she
could possibly drag her weary body a step further.
A few moments later the front-door had been securely bolted, and Mrs.
Perry, lantern in hand, was conducting her two strange visitors out of
the back door and down the garden.
"That's the fowls' house," she explained, flashing her lantern over the
door of the little building as they passed it, "and here is the barn."
She opened the door, and threw the lantern light all over the wooden
shed. It was spotlessly clean, and sweet with the smell of the straw
which was scattered about one end of it. There were some bundles and
some loose straw lying on the ground. Huldah sank down on one of the
bundles with a little cry of relief, while Dick burrowed delightedly in
the loose straw.
"You won't be afraid, you think?"
"No, ma'am, thank you, not with Dick," she answered, bravely.

She did not feel quite so brave, though, when the light had gone, and
she heard the house-door bolted, and found herself and Dick shut in
alone in the dark in that great empty strange place. She did wish that
Mrs. Perry had seen fit to leave them the lantern. Rats loved straw,
Huldah knew, so did mice, and she was dreadfully afraid of both. The
moonlight shone in through the sides of the barn, and Huldah had a
feeling that eyes were at all the chinks, watching her.
To try to forget the rats and mice and not to see the eyes, she nestled
down in the straw, with one bundle at her head and another at her back,
and hoped she would soon fall asleep and forget everything. But though
she was so tired, or, perhaps, because she was overtired, sleep when it
did come was not sound or pleasant. Every time Dick rustled the straw,
she awoke. Every time a bird called or an owl hooted, she started up
wide awake. She woke once from a dream of her uncle, with, as she
thought, his voice echoing in her ear. Another time she felt certain he
was banging at the barn door, trying to get in, to beat her and Dick, and
take them both back.
"Oh, I wish it was morning!" she sighed, and sat up on her straw bed, to
see if daylight was beginning to dawn yet.
But all