“Well — I suppose he makes money by it,” said Dick, amused.

“He is my big bad one,” said the little woman. She turned to go and then turned back again with a sudden smile. “But he is very good sometimes,” she said.

She went back to her caravan. The boys looked at one another. “Poor Alfredo,” said Dick. “He looks as brave as a lion, and he’s certainly a giant of a man — but he’s as timid as a mouse. Fancy running away from that tiny little woman.”

“Well, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t too, if she came bounding over the field after me, brandishing that dangerous-looking saucepan,” said Julian. “Ah — who’s this?”

The man that Anne had thought might be the one who could set himself free when bound with ropes was coming up from the stile. He walked easily and lightly, really very like a cat. Julian glanced at his hands — they were small but looked very strong. Yes — he could certainly undo knots with hands like that. They gazed at him curiously.

“No kids allowed here,” said the man, as he came up.

“Sorry, but we’re caravanners too,” said Dick. “I say — are you the fellow that can undo ropes when he’s tied up in them?”

“Could be,” said the man, and walked on. He turned round suddenly. “Like me to tie you up?” he called. “I’ve a good mind to try. Don’t you try interfering with us, or I’ll do it!”

“Dear me — what a nice, pleasant lot they are!” said Julian. “Quite different from the other circus folk we’ve known. I begin to feel we shan’t make friends as fast as I thought!”

“We’d better be careful, I think,” said Dick. “They seem to resent us, goodness knows why. They may make things jolly unpleasant. Don’t let’s snoop round any more this morning. Let’s keep away from them till they get a bit used to us. Then perhaps they’ll be more friendly.”

“We’ll go and meet the girls,” said Julian. So they went down to the stile and walked to the bus-stop. The bus came panting up the hill at that very moment, and the girls stepped off, with the three fair-women behind them.

The girls joined the boys. “We’ve done a lot of shopping,” said Anne. “Our baskets are awfully heavy. Thanks, Julian, if you’ll carry mine. Dick can take George’s. Did you see those women who got off with us?”

“Yes,” said Julian. “Why?”

“Well, we tried to talk to them but they were very unfriendly,” said Anne. “We felt quite uncomfortable. And Timmy growled like anything, of course, which made things worse. I don’t think he liked their smell. They did smell rather unwashed.”

“We didn’t get on too well either, with the rest of the fair-folk,” said Julian. “In fact I can’t say that Dick and I were a success at all. All they wanted us to do was to clear out.”

“I got a paper for you,” said Anne, “and George found a letter at the post office from her mother. It’s addressed to all of us so we didn’t open it. We’ll read it when we get to the caravans.”