"Now then," he drawled, "why----By Jove!" The gallant soldier was as much taken aback as if he had turned to find a pistol at his ear. He took his feet off the table. Yet he only saw the gypsy's girlish figure in its red and green, for she had covered her face with her hands. She was looking at him intently between her fingers, but he did not know this. All he did want to know just then was what was behind the hands. Before he spoke again she had perhaps made up her mind about him, for she began to sob bitterly. At the same time she slipped a finger over her ring. "Why don't you look at me?" asked Halliwell, selfishly. "I daurna." "Am I so fearsome?" "You're a sojer, and you would shoot me like a craw." Halliwell laughed, and taking her wrists in his hands, uncovered her face. "Oh, by Jove!" he said again, but this time to himself. As for the Egyptian, she slid the ring into her pocket, and fell back before the officer's magnificence. "Oh," she cried, "is all sojers like you?" There was such admiration in her eyes that it would have been self-contempt to doubt her. Yet having smiled complacently, Halliwell became uneasy. "Who on earth are you?" he asked, finding it wise not to look her in the face. "Why do you not answer me more quickly?" "Dinna be angry at that, captain," the Egyptian implored. "I promised my mither aye to count twenty afore I spoke, because she thocht I was ower glib. Captain, how is't that you're so fleid to look at me?" Thus put on his mettle, Halliwell again faced her, with the result that his question changed to "Where did you get those eyes?" Then was he indignant with himself. "What I want to know," he explained severely, "is how you were able to acquaint the Thrums people with our movements? That you must tell me at once, for the sheriff blames my soldiers. Come now, no counting twenty!" He was pacing the room now, and she had her face to herself. It said several things, among them that the officer evidently did not like this charge against his men. "Does the shirra blame the sojers?" exclaimed this quick-witted Egyptian. "Weel, that cows, for he has nane to blame but himsel'." "What!" cried Halliwell, delighted. "It was the sheriff who told tales? Answer me. You are counting a hundred this time." Perhaps the gypsy had two reasons for withholding her answer. If so, one of them was that as the sheriff had told nothing, she had a story to make up. The other was that she wanted to strike a bargain with the officer. "If I tell you," she said eagerly, "will you set me free?" "I may ask the sheriff to do so." "But he mauna see me," the Egyptian said in distress. "There's reasons, captain." "Why, surely you have not been before him on other occasions," said Halliwell, surprised.