“We’ll get back into the wood this way,” he said, without turning his head, and with some difficulty he managed to get the donkey across a dry ditch, and down a steep bank, when, sure enough, they found themselves again among trees.  It was already dusk, and a very little way on in the wood it became almost dark.  The gipsy went on some distance farther—­obliged, however, to go very slowly; then at last he stopped.

“This’ll do for to-night,” he said.  “I’m about sick of all this nonsense, I can tell ye.  We might ha’ been at Brigslade to-night if it hadn’t been for these brats.”

“Then do as I say,” said Diana.  “I’ll manage it for you.  Big Tony can carry one, and I the other.”

But Mick only turned away with an oath.

[Illustration:  “HERE’S SOME SUPPER FOR YOU.  WAKE UP, AND TRY AND EAT A BIT.  IT’LL DO YOU GOOD.”—­p. 89.]

Big Tony was the name of the gipsy boy.  He never spoke, and never seemed to take any interest in anything, for he was half-witted, as it is called; though Duke and Pamela only thought him very sulky and silent compared with the friendly little Tim.  By this time they were too completely tired to think about anything—­they even felt too stupid to wonder if they were on the way home or not—­and when Diana lifted Pamela off the donkey and set her down, still wrapped in the shawl, to lean with her back against a tree, Duke crept up to her, drawing a corner of the shawl round him, for he too was very cold by now, poor little boy—­and sat there by his sister, both of them in a sort of half stupor, too tired even to know that they were very hungry!

They did fall asleep—­though they did not know it till they were roused by some one gently pulling them.

“Here’s some supper for you.  Wake up, and try and eat a bit.  It’ll do you good,” the gipsy Diana was saying to them; and when they managed to open their sleepy eyes, they saw that she had a wooden bowl in one hand, in which some hot coffee was steaming, and a hunch of bread in the other.  It was not very good coffee, and neither Duke nor Pamela was accustomed to coffee of any kind at home, but it was hot and sweet, and they were so hungry that even the coarse butterless bread tasted good.  As they grew more awake they began to wonder how the coffee had been made, but the mystery was soon explained, for at a short distance a fire of leaves and branches was burning brightly with a kettle sputtering merrily in the middle.  And round the fire Mick and his wife and big Tony were sitting or lying, each with food in their hands; while a little nearer them Tim was pulling another shawl out of a bundle.

“Give it me here,” said Diana, and then she wrapped it round Duke, drawing the other more closely about Pamela.

“Now you can go to sleep again,” she said, seeing that the coffee and bread had disappeared.  “It’ll not be a cold night, and we’ll have to be off early in the morning;” and then she turned away and sat down to eat her own supper at a little distance.