She regarded him further, as the cause of differences between herself and her sons-in- law--as an apple of discord in the Romany camp.

She employed her grandchild, Leonora, to open relations in a friendly way with Lavengro, and then to persuade him to eat of a "drabbed" of poisoned cake.

Lavengro was grievously sick, but was saved in the nick of time by the appearance upon the scene of a Welsh preacher, Peter Williams, and his wife--two good souls who wandered over all Wales and the greater part of England, comforting the hearts of the people with their doctrine, and doing all the good they could.

They never slept beneath a roof, unless the weather was very severe.

The preacher had a heavy burden upon his mind, to wit, "the sin against the Holy Ghost," committed when he was but a lad.
Lavengro journeys for several days with the preacher and his wife, assuring the former that in common with most other boys he himself, when of tender years, had committed twenty such sins and felt no uneasiness about them.