Audacity of the Woman 87

so softly that he had not seen her start. The
woman had designs on him! Gavin turned from
her. He walked so quickly that judges would
have said he ran.

The soldiers, I have said, stood in the dim
light. Gavin had almost reached them, when a
little hand touched his arm.

“ Stop,” cried the sergeant, hearing some one

approaching, and then Gavin stepped out of the
darkness with the gypsy on his arm.

“Jt is you, Mr. Dishart,’ said the sergeant,
“and your lady?”

“ T—” said Gavin.

His lady pinched his arm.

“Yes,” she answered, in an elegant English
voice that made Gavin stare at her, “‘ but, indeed,
I am sorry I ventured into the streets to-night.
I thought I might be able to comfort some of
these unhappy people, captain, but I could do
little, sadly little.”

“Tt is no scene for a lady, ma’am, but your
husband has— Did you speak, Mr. Dishart?”

“Yes, I must inf —”

“« My dear,” said the Egyptian, “I quite agree
with you, so we need not detain the captain.”

“I’m only a sergeant, ma’am.”

“ Indeed!” said the Egyptian, raising her pretty
eyebrows, “and how long are you to remain in
Thrums, sergeant?”

“Only for a few hours, Mrs. Dishart. If this
gypsy lassie had not given us so much trouble,
we might have been gone by now.”

“* Ah, yes, I hope you will catch her, sergeant.”

“Sergeant,” said Gavin, firmly, “I must —”