for a flashing smile crossed her dark face, and she held out a
shapely hand to lead the guest to the table.

"Thou art welcome to our board, Cuthbert Trevlyn," she said, "as is
any hapless stranger in these wilds, be he Trevlyn or no. Thou
shalt eat our salt this night, and then woe betide the man who
dares to lay hand on thee;" and such a glance was flashed around
from her magnificent dark eyes as caused each one that met it to
resolve to take good heed to his ways. "Thou shalt come and go
unmolested; Joanna the Gipsy Queen has so decreed it!"

Every one present, the old woman included, bent the head at these
words, and Cuthbert felt by some instinct that his life was now
safe.



Chapter 5: The House On The Bridge.


"Keren Happuch."

"Yes, aunt."

The reply came only after a brief pause, as though the rosy-cheeked
maiden at the casement would fain have declined to answer to that
abhorred name had she dared--which was indeed pretty much the case;
for though it was undeniably her own, and she could not gainsay the
unpalatable fact, nobody in the world but Aunt Susan ever aggrieved
her by using it. Even her grave father had adopted the "Cherry"