The next morning, Ririko woke on her camp cot, every vertebra in her back protesting.
She rolled over and saw breakfast laid out on the little folding table beside her bed:
Two slices of lightly browned toast, an omelet with minced carrots and ground beef, a small dish of strawberry jam, a pat of butter, and two bottles of milk.
This breakfast was far more substantial than last night's boiled cabbage and mashed potatoes, as though someone had gotten up early just to make it for her.
She sat up, rubbed her neck, and glanced toward the colorful curtain on the other side of the tent.
The woman dressed as a gypsy was quietly watching her from the edge of the curtain.
Ririko asked outright, "Who brought this breakfast?"
The woman didn't answer.
Ririko doubted the breakfast had come from the circus kitchen.
She leisurely picked up a slice of toast and spread a thin layer of strawberry jam on it.
Then she walked over to the curtain and held the jam-covered toast and a bottle of milk out beside the gap.
"Have some yourself," she coaxed. "I can't finish all this alone."
The curtain opened a little.
A hand wearing a silver bracelet reached out and took the toast and milk.
The woman took a bite of the bread, then said in a raspy voice, "You and your companions... be careful tonight."
Ririko stared at the woman who liked hiding behind the curtain. "What's going to happen tonight?"
The woman didn't answer again, retreating behind the curtain instead.
Ririko returned to her cot and ate the rest of her breakfast without a worry-
Since the Gypsy Woman had eaten some without any trouble, there was probably nothing wrong with the food. Perhaps Dick or Oliver had simply gotten up