The gypsy patteran has always had a strange interest for me, Ursula." "Like enough, brother; but what does patteran mean ?" "Why, the gypsy trail, formed as I told you before." "And you know nothing more about patteran, brother ?" "Nothing at all, Ursula; do you ?" "What's the name for the leaf of a tree, brother ?" "I don't know," said I; "it's odd enough that I have asked that question of a dozen Romany chals and chies, and they always told me that they did not know." "No more they did, brother; there's only one person in England that knows, and that's myself--the name for a leaf is patteran.

Now there are two that knows it--the other is yourself." "Dear me, Ursula, how very strange! I am much obliged to you.

I think I never saw you look so pretty as you do now; but who told you ?" "My mother, Mrs.Herne, told it me one day, brother, when she was in a good humour, which she very seldom was, and no one has a better right to know than yourself, as she hated you mortally: it was one day when you had been asking our company what was the word for a leaf, and nobody could tell you, that she took me aside and told me, for she was in a good humour, and triumphed in seeing you balked.

She told me the word for leaf was patteran, which our people use now for trail, having forgotten the true meaning.

She said that the trail was called patteran, because the gypsies of old were in the habit of making the marks with the leaves and branches of trees, placed in a certain manner.