"If we really hurry now, Mary, we might catch it before he turns round and goes back. Gosh! But I'd like to know what it's like inside and what that woman is selling and if she's got any charms..."

"Yes, I know," Mary interrupted. "Spells and things. Frog's legs."

"It's only witches have those."

"Well," panted his twin triumphantly, "p'raps she's a witch."

And then quite suddenly they were face to face with her, for they turned a corner in the lane and the red and yellow caravan filled the road in front of them.

From the driving seat the gipsy woman, with a scarlet handkerchief round her black hair, smiled with a flash of white teeth. At her side sat a solemn little girl, and from somewhere out of sight came the sound of a man singing.

The horse stopped and the twins stood hand in hand in the middle of the road.

"Good afternoon," said Mary politely. Then: "This road doesn't lead anywhere, you know."

"If you'll excuse us mentioning it," added Dickie.

Then a voice from the back called: "What is it, romni? Drive on!"

The woman shook her ear-rings. "Once this road led to Witchend. Doesn't it now?"

Mary almost stuttered in her excitement.

"Do you really mean you were coming to Witchend?"

"Specially to see us?" added Dickie.

But before the woman could answer, a gipsy man, with even bigger ear-rings, came round from behind the van. He smiled, too, and looked them up and down in a way which was quite familiar to them.

"Yes," said Mary. "We're twins. I'm Mary Morton and this is Dickie."

"We're alike," added her brother. Then, "Are you really coming to see us?"

Reuben nodded.

"If we may," he said, "we come to Witchend. We have a message for Mr. David Morton. Is he here?"

"Not exactly there," said Dickie, "but he's just our brother, and we'll take the message. Is it a letter?"

Reuben tapped his heart.

"It is a letter from a lady," he smiled. "And we must deliver it to him. Also there is a letter for Mrs. Morton... Shall we go?"

"What I'd like to know," Mary said slowly, "is how you've got a letter from a lady for David. Who is it and who are you?"

"Come back with us," the woman said, "and you will know all. Climb up here with Fenella, my lucky ones, and drive us in. It is lucky to drive a Romany van... But wait till I am down."

The twins scrambled up and without a word the gipsy child moved over and handed the reins to Dickie, who passed one to Mary. Then Reuben went to the horse's head and clicked his tongue and the caravan lurched up the lane.

"Dickie," whispered Mary, "you know who the letter's from, don't you? It's the message from Peter. She said wait for a message, didn't she? Well, here it is."