Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/321

Rh was no wonder that Mary, coming up from the garden, should have screamed to see a strange gypsy standing in  the midst of the wedding presents. I only hope that she did not steal anything.” At the thought of such a catastrophe, Brenda cried out, “Oh, have her arrested, papa,  perhaps she did! Oh, what will Ralph and Agnes say!”

“There, there, it is more than probable that no harm has been done. When you admitted that you knew her, and had invited her to come over here, I could not treat her exactly  like a criminal. Besides, Mary says that the woman had been there but a minute. But how did you happen to know her?”

“It was when Nora and I were on our bicycles. We had our fortunes told.”

“Well, well,” said Mr. Barlow, “I thought that Nora had more sense.”

“Oh, it was I who thought of it,” said Brenda; “but I never supposed that she would really come to the house. She said that she would like to buy old clothes.”

“There,” said Mr. Elston, looking down the road, “there are my men just below the stable. They are to be a guard for the house while the rest of us are at the wedding. With your leave, Robert, I ’ll give them their directions.”

“Now, Brenda,” said Mr. Barlow, as the skipper and mate were marshalled into the house to form a guard for  the wedding gifts, “this day must not be in any way  overcast, and so I hope that you will put the last half-hour  out of your mind, at least for the present. Later, I may