John of the woods

"[...]turned, dived under dark archways and through dirty alleys, down flights of steps, until he was out of breath and too dizzy to go further. He had come out on the highroad, it seemed. The little brown cottages were farther apart here. It was more like the country, which Gigi loved. He turned into an enclosure and hid behind a stack of straw, panting. [Illustration: Gigi runs away.] He wondered if by this time they had discovered his flight, and he shivered to think of what Tonio and Cecco were saying if it were so. He[...]."