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  CHAPTER II

  THE PIRATES' DEN

  'Neil, old fellow,' Allan was saying, 'I wonder how much longer thesepeople are going to keep us waiting.'

  The two were in a boat that was bobbing up and down upon the waves.The shore close by was low and sandy, with some seaweed-covered stonesforming a convenient landing-place. On one side the bay swept round ina curve ending in a rocky headland; and on the other arose low cliffswith brambles and sea-pinks growing in the crevices. A breeze wasblowing shoreward; and the waves curled and broke upon the beach with apleasant sound.

  'Nothing more found out about the robbery yet, I suppose?' said Allan,after they had waited a little longer.

  'Nothing at all,' said Neil. 'It iss a most extraordinary affair, forthere iss not a man on the island one could effer be suspecting ofdoing such a thing; and if it wass a stranger, the wonder iss how hewill be managing to come and go without being seen. The letter-boxwass broken into from inside the house, and whoever will be doing itmust have got in after MacAlister and his wife wass gone to bed. Itiss a wonder they will not have been hearing anything.'

  'There's the MacGregors' pony-cart at last,' said Allan, 'with Marjorieand Hamish in it. Let's bring the boat to the landing-stones. Theywill leave the trap at Mrs. MacMurdoch's cottage until we come back.'

  A man came out of the cottage and held the little shaggy pony whileMarjorie and her brother took a variety of miscellaneous articles outof the cart.

  'Hulloa, Allan! hulloa, Neil!' they cried; 'where are the others?'

  'Don't know,' said Allan, 'they are dawdling somewhere, and we'll neverget off at this rate. What's all this that you've got with you?'

  'Things for the hiding-place,' said Marjorie; 'and a nice lot oftrouble we've had to bring them all this way without breaking any ofthem. The pony was particularly tricky, not having been exercised.You'll get a basket of crockery, Allan, if you'll go and take it out ofthe trap. Hamish is carrying some provisions and a tablecloth, andI've got some knives and forks, and just look at this!--It's a girdlefor making scones with.'

  'All right,' said Allan; 'chuck them into the boat, and get inyourself. But won't it be a little too civilised, bringing all thesethings with you?'

  'Not at all,' said Marjorie; 'wait till we show you what a jolly placewe're making. We can spend whole days there without ever coming home,and we must be able to cook dinner and tea for ourselves. We've had noend of trouble to get all these things out of the kitchen withoutElspeth seeing us. She's so mean, you know, about letting us carryaway anything that doesn't belong to us.'

  'All right,' said Allan; 'but when are Reggie and Tricksy going to turnup? It would serve them jolly well right if we went off without them.'

  'There they are in the distance,' said Hamish; 'at least, these seem tobe the dogs.'

  'That's certainly Laddie,' said Allan, standing up and looking, 'andthat little black speck seems to be Carlo; but surely those can't beReggie and Tricksy with them?'

  All stared at two curious figures that looked like animated bundles ofhay coming along the road.

  'It is Reggie and Tricksy,' said Neil, whose sailor's sight enabled himto see farthest; 'and they're carrying something.'

  'Carrying _what_?' said Allan, more and more puzzled.

  'Perhaps they're bringing straw for bedding,' suggested Marjorie.

  'Then if they are, they're not going to fill up the boat with it onthis trip,' said Allan decidedly. 'We shall be heavily enough loadedalready, with all of ourselves; and they're bringing both the dogs.'

  As they came nearer the two walking bundles proved to be indeed Reggieand Tricksy, carrying enormous bundles of ferns. Reggie's face peeped,hot and perspiring, round one side of his bundle, which he clasped withthe utmost extent of his arms; and Tricksy, with a smaller burden,looked with a long-suffering expression over the fronds which tickledher little nose. Beside them Laddie stepped lightly along, his tailcurling over his back; while in the rear a small King Charles spanielwaddled painfully along upon his little short legs; his tongue hangingout, and his long ears sweeping the dust of the road.

  'Well,' said Allan; 'whatever are they up to now?'

  Reggie came down to the shore, picking his way cautiously over thestepping-stones.

  'You might hold the boat steady for me,' he said in a half-stifledvoice; then, stepping on to the thwarts, he lost his footing and fellforward, load and all, into the boat.

  Promptly he struggled to his feet and wiped his forehead, lookingaround with a self-congratulatory smile.

  'There,' he said, 'these will be a great improvement to the place. Gotthem up, roots and all.'

  Meanwhile Hamish had relieved Tricksy of her load, and Neil was helpingthe little girl over the stones.

  'Why, Tricksy,' said Marjorie, as the little girl took her seat, 'you_have_ got yourself into a state!'

  'I know, but I couldn't help it,' said Tricksy, looking ruefully downat her little black hands and muddy frock. 'Reggie wanted the fernsfor our garden, and we've been digging away with pieces of wood in thebanks of the burn. Some of them had roots ever so deep down, and wecouldn't help making ourselves muddy. I'll wash my face and hands inthe sea.'

  'Why ever did you bring _that_ thing with you?' said Allan in disgust,pointing to the little dog who was standing on the shore. AlreadyLaddie had sprung on board and was lying curled up on the stern seat,confident of his welcome. 'We'll have to leave him in one of thecottages until we come back.'

  'No, no!' cried Marjorie and Tricksy; 'Carlo must come too.'

  'Let him come,' said Hamish; 'he won't be in the way.'

  The little dog, who had been frisking about and wagging his tail, satup and begged, looking from one to the other of the young people with abeseeching whine.

  'You darling,' cried both the girls; and Tricksy sprang out of the boatand lifted him in.

  Allan looked contemptuous as he pushed off; but Laddie gave a littleyelp of satisfaction, and the little spaniel curled himself cosily inTricksy's lap, while Marjorie leaned over and petted him when the boyswere not looking.

  The steady strokes of the rowers brought the boat rapidly through thewater, while the herring gulls flew screaming around, and a smallisland in the middle of the firth came nearer and nearer.

  Presently the sea became shallower, and the boat shot up on the beach.

  'Here we are,' said Marjorie, springing out first; 'now you must seewhat we've made of the place, Allan. Haul up the boat, Hamish; andReggie, you might hand out some of these things. Take care you don'tdrop any of them. Every one take something, and let's come.'

  Laddie waited impatiently while the articles were distributed among theparty, and then followed his young friends with an anticipatory bark.Carlo was lifted out by Hamish, and immediately set off to chase a gullwhich sailed majestically out to sea, and left him barking on the shore.

  'Now, Allan,' said Reggie, his dark eyes twinkling; 'you are going tosee what we've been about.'

  The island consisted of a beach, rocky on the one side, sandy on theother, enclosing a stretch of grass and heather. A tiny hill rose by adeserted shepherd's hut, and a miniature burn trickled down to the sea.The place had once been used as a grazing ground for a few sheep, butof late years had been entirely uninhabited.

  'Now look, Allan,' said Reggie, as they stood by the bit of dyke whichprotected the windy side of the cottage.

  'Wh-e-ew,' said Allan; 'you have made a jolly place of it!'

  'Rebuilt the cottage, which had been falling to ruins,' said Reggie.'That was mostly Neil's doing, and Hamish and I helped. Filled up theholes in the thatch with fresh heather. We all worked at that part ofit. Then you see we've made a bit of a garden and thrown up the turffor a dyke on the side where the stone one was broken down. The shellson the path were brought up from the beach of this very island. Isn'tit jolly?'

  'Awfully fine,' said Allan. 'Have you given the place a name yet?'

  'Why,' said Marjorie, 'it's our P
irates' Den, and we mean to have allkinds of fun in it all through the summer. The boat is called the_Pirates' Craft_ now, and we are going to have no end of fine doings,particularly if Neil has time to join us.'

  Allan shoved his cap to the back of his head, and looked about himagain with brightening eyes.

  'Awfully jolly,' was all that he could say. 'Neil, you _are_ a fellowfor hitting upon good ideas.'

  'Now come along and see the inside,' said Reggie, leading the way.

  'This fine strong door was made by Neil,' said Marjorie; 'a fine timewe had getting it over in the boat. We haven't got glass for thewindows yet, and I don't suppose we ever shall; but it doesn't matter.What do you think of our kitchen?'

  Hamish pushed open the door, and they all crowded in to see how Allanwould look.

  'Well,' said Allan, 'you _have_ done a lot to the place!'

  The clay floor had been swept dean and had been repaired in places; thehearth had been cleared out, and a kettle hung from a hook in the widechimney. Some gaily-coloured pictures had been nailed up over the dampstains on the walls, and there were some rough chairs and a somewhatrickety table. Altogether it was a fairly comfortable little cottage.

  'You must have worked very hard at this,' said Allan.

  'Indeed we have,' said Marjorie. 'We've been gardening, and hammering,and carpentering all our spare time since you left; Tricksy and all ofus. We'd never have stuck to it as we did if it hadn't been for Neil.'

  'Good old Neil,' said Allan, giving the elder lad a friendly pat on theshoulder. 'Well, I must say it's an awfully jolly place, and I wishI'd been here while you were working on it.'

  'There's plenty to do yet,' said Marjorie; 'we are going to make allkinds of improvements. Mother and Mrs. Stewart can't make out how wemanage to spend so much time by ourselves and never come to any harm.'

  They stood looking around for a few minutes and then Tricksy's voicebroke in, with a little laugh in it, 'Yes, these are very nice chairs,and it's a very nice table; but are we going to get anything to put onit?'

  All the others laughed.

  'Well,' said Allan, 'now I come to think of it, I _am_ a bit peckish.What do you say, Hamish?'

  'Yes,' said Marjorie energetically; 'bustle about, all of you, andwe'll have some dinner before we do anything else. Get some peats,will you, Reggie; some of the shepherd's peat-stack is still there, andit comes in very usefully for us.'

  A fire was soon burning on the hearth, and Marjorie suggested that theboys should go to the rocks on the farther side of the island and tryto catch a few fish while she and Tricksy made scones and boiled thekettle.

  The boys scrambled out as far as they could and threw out their lines;and when half-a-dozen rock-cod had been caught they returned to findMarjorie and Tricksy very busy over the fire, while a pile of hotbannocks smoked beside them.

  'Take the dishes and set the table,' said Marjorie, rubbing her eyes,which smarted a little with 'peat reek,' for the chimney did not ventvery well.

  'Where shall we set it?' asked Reggie.

  'Outside, of course; what's the good of being in a house when it isn'training? Besides, it's smoky here.'

  A tablecloth was spread on a sheltered piece of turf, and secured atthe corners with stones to keep it from blowing away; then the disheswere set out upon it.

  'What are the dogs about?' asked Marjorie, coming out of the cottagewith a plate of smoking fish.

  'Rabbiting, I bet,' said Reggie, and began shouting, 'Laddie! Carlo!'

  In a few minutes there was a scamper, and Laddie's head appeared abovea ridge, waiting with pricked-up ears to know what was required of him.

  'Dinner, Lad!' said Reggie.

  Laddie gave a yelp, sprang up and turned a somersault in the air andcame running, followed by Carlo, who yapped with excitement, his earsflying behind him and his curly black coat covered with earth andstalks from burrowing in the rabbit-holes.

  'Trust, Laddie,' said Tricksy; and the collie lay down obediently withhis nose on his paws. Carlo stretched himself beside him, but wasunable to restrain his impatience, and sat up more than once andbegged, undeterred by warnings from Laddie, who feared that his littlefriend's disobedience might get him into trouble.

  'Isn't it awfully jolly having dinner out-of-doors?' said Marjorie,whose short curly hair was blowing about her face and glistening in thesun, while her blue eyes danced with merriment.

  'Much nicer than indoors,' said Tricksy. 'I wish we could live herealtogether.'

  'Jolly tired you'd get of it,' growled Reggie; 'wait till it rains, andyou find yourself shut up with half-a-dozen other people, and both thedogs, in one little smoky room. You'd tell another tale then.'

  'What I will be wondering, Miss Marjorie,' said Neil; 'iss why you willall be taking so much trouble to keep every one but ourselves fromknowing that you have this place?'

  'It is only for a little while,' replied Marjorie. 'Of course we willbring father and mother over here for a picnic some day and give them asurprise.'

  'And _my_ father and mother too,' piped Tricksy; 'we wouldn't want tokeep a thing from Mummie, except just for a little while, for fun.'

  'Then how iss it that you will be finding so much pleasure in having asecret just now?'

  Marjorie looked out to sea with a puzzled expression.

  'I don't know,' she said at last, with a little laugh; 'except thatit's such fun knowing that we've got a secret!'

  'I've been thinking,' said Allan, who was lying full length upon aridge and looking towards Inchkerra, 'while we are having such a jollytime of it over here, what must be the feelings of the man who stolethose letters, now he knows that the police are after him!'

  The others all looked towards the island, where they could see the low,grey cottages of the little village.

  'It seems strange that they haven't got him yet,' observed Marjorie.

  'I met MacLean the constable from Stornwell this morning,' said Hamish,'and he told me that they had no trace as yet, and that they believedit must have been done by some stranger who came over from themainland, and got away immediately after the robbery.'

  'I hope so,' said Allan; 'it isn't nice to think of any of our peoplebeing dishonest.'

  'If it was a stranger,' said Reggie; 'they may never catch him.'

  'I heard father say that he would be traced by the money-orders,'replied Allan. 'It seems that there were several post-office orders ina registered letter addressed to father, and that is one of the lettersthat is missing. Father says that the thief is sure to try to make useof the orders sooner or later, and they have sent the numbers to everypost-office in the kingdom.'

  'And then the man will be caught!' said Tricksy in an awestruck tone.

  'That will be the best chance of getting him,' replied Allan.

  'The fellow will find himself in the wrong box then, won't he, Neil?'

  'I suppose he will,' replied Neil, rather absently.

  'I hope it won't turn out to have been some one on the island,' saidReggie.

  'I hope not,' said Marjorie, looking over to the green fields and brownheather moors of Inchkerra. 'Isn't it dreadful to think that it mayhave been some one whom we know; some one we have spoken to quitelately?'

  'Well, Miss Marjorie,' said Neil, 'do you not think we had better begetting the table cleared and the things put away? We have plenty ofwork before us, if we are to plant all Reggie's ferns; and we must notstay too late, for it iss anxious about you that Mrs. Stewart and Mrs.MacGregor will be.'

  'Not they,' said Tricksy; 'no one is anxious when they know that youare with us, Neil.'

  Neil looked gratified, and the young people began to collect the dishes.

  'Now, don't you bother about this piece of work,' said Marjorie, whenthe boys had carried the plates into the cottage; 'you go and amuseyourselves out-of-doors while Tricksy and I wash the dishes.'

  'I wonder why you don't let them do their share of the disagreeablework, Marjorie,' said Tricksy a little discontented
ly, when the boyshad vanished.

  'Pooh,' said Marjorie, with her arms in the hot water; 'what's thegood? They'd only hate it, and besides, boys always do these thingsbadly.'

  When the dishes and cooking utensils had been arranged upon theshelves, Marjorie and Tricksy went out into the garden, their eyessomewhat dim with peat smoke.

  'Come along and help, you two,' cried Reggie; 'must get these things inthis afternoon, or they'll be dead before we come back again. Botherit, though; we haven't enough tools to go round.'

  'Here, Miss Tricksy,' interposed Neil; 'you take this little spade.This sharp piece of wood will be doing just as well for me.'

  'And I've got a pointed piece of slate; I can scrape holes with that,'said Allan. 'Take this old trowel, Marjorie; it hasn't a handle, but Idon't suppose you'll mind.'

  For a long time the young people worked with a will. The sun beat downupon the unshaded island, and the breeze blew in from the sea, bringinga salt taste to the lips and blowing the girls' hair about. The wavesbabbled round the shore, and the gulls sailed overhead and screamed.

  When the sun's rays began to slant, and the pile of ferns wasdiminishing, Neil kept glancing over his shoulder to watch the tide.

  'There now, that's done,' said Reggie, pressing the earth round theroots of the last fern and then rising; 'it's a jolly long time it hastaken us. What shall we do next?'

  'I think we ought to go now,' said Hamish. 'What do you say, Neil?'

  'It is high time we wass making a start,' said Neil. 'The tide issrising fast, and the beach iss half covered already.'

  'What a pity,' said Tricksy regretfully; 'we've had such a jolly day ofit, haven't we, Marjorie?'

  'Awfully jolly,' replied Marjorie; 'but we'll come again soon.--You'llcome too, won't you, Neil?'

  'I will be coming as soon as I can be sparing the time, you may be sureof that, Miss Marjorie,' replied the lad with a smile.

  The dogs were recalled from the rabbit-holes and came, their facescovered with sand, and the boat was pushed off from the shore.

  Half-way across the firth, Marjorie turned and looked back regretfully.

  'What a pity we have to go home,' she said. 'It would be awfully jollyto spend all night in the cottage.'

  'Look to your oar, Marjorie,' sang out Allan, for the boat wasbeginning to turn round.

  In a short time they reached the landing-stones, of which the lowerones were already submerged.

  'Won't you all look in and see Mother before you go home?' suggestedNeil, after the boat had been drawn up and secured to themooring-chain. 'She'd be pleased if you'd come and say good evening toher; and Miss Tricksy, you would be seeing the little puffins thatHamish gave you; Mother tells me that they're coming along finely.'

  Mrs. Macdonnell's cottage was not far distant, and the young peopleaccepted Neil's invitation.

  'I'll just tell Mother that you're here,' said Neil, lifting the latchand vanishing in the interior of the cottage.

  'I wonder who Mrs. Macdonnell has with her,' said Allan, in anundertone. 'I hear voices inside. Perhaps we had better not go inthis evening.'

  They waited for some time; but still no one came to bid them enter.

  'This is strange,' said Marjorie. 'I wonder whether Neil has forgottenus.'

  The door was pushed half open, and Neil's face looked out of theaperture, with his mother's behind him. Both appeared agitated, andNeil looked at the others as though he did not see them.

  CHAPTER III

  A SURPRISE

  'Allan,' said Mrs. Stewart, coming downstairs, 'your father has to goto Stornwell and will not be back until to-morrow, so there will be nocricket match this afternoon. I have a note from Mrs. MacGregor,asking you all to spend the day at Corranmore instead.'

  'All right, Mother,' replied Allan; 'when are we to be there?'

  'Mrs. MacGregor asks you to come early,' said Mrs. Stewart, consultingthe letter; 'I had better send you in the dog-cart, as it's rather farto walk. Duncan is driving your father to the steamer, but he won't belong.'

  'Don't bother about the dog-cart, Mother,' said Allan; 'it would bemuch jollier to walk; and we'd like to look in at Mrs. Macdonnell'scottage on the way and ask what's the matter with Neil. We haven'tseen him for a day or two.'

  'I wouldn't go there to-day, I think,' interposed Mrs. Stewarthurriedly. 'I don't think Neil will be at home. I'm afraid the walkwould be too much for Tricksy,' she went on quickly, for the youngpeople were looking surprised.

  'Not if we start now, I think, Mother, and give Tricksy a rest now andagain. What do you say, Tricksy?'

  'Of course I can walk,' said Tricksy. 'I shan't be a bit tired,Mother.'

  Mrs. Stewart looked at her little daughter with a smile.

  'I am afraid of your overdoing it, Tricksy; she said. 'You are alwaystrying to do as much as the others, who are so much older thanyourself. Well, do as you like; I leave you in Allan's charge, and hewill see that you are not made to walk too fast.'

  'All right, Mother,' said Reggie; 'but won't you come a bit of the waywith us?'

  'Not this morning, dear. I will come with you some other time.'

  'All right, Mother,' said Reggie; 'but it's a long time since you'vegone anywhere with us. Cut away upstairs, Tricksy, and get your hat;it's time we started if we are to take rests on the way.'

  'Don't you think Mother is very quiet?' observed Tricksy, as the threeyoung people, accompanied by Laddie, were crossing the moor. 'I wonderwhether she's sorry about something?'

  'I did not notice anything,' said Allan.

  Tricksy had almost said, 'No, boys never do, but checked herself intime.

  The road between Ardnavoir and Corranmore led across the northern partof the island, through fields and moorland. All the turnings of theway brought into view fascinating glimpses of the sea, running inlandbetween brown rocks. Fishing-boats with white and russet sails layupon water turned to a sheet of silver by the sunlight, and grey andwhite gulls floated about and screamed.

  The breeze was blowing shoreward, tempering the warmth of the sun andbringing brine and the odour of seaweed to mingle with the perfume ofbell-heather from the moors.

  Laddie stepped lightly beside his young friends, waving his tail in theair, and now and again pausing to investigate a rabbit-burrow or aninteresting tuft of heather or cotton-grass.

  'Well, Tricksy, getting tired yet?' said Allan to his little sisterafter they had walked between three and four miles.

  'Not a bit,' replied Tricksy, trudging along determinedly, but with alittle roll in her gait which betrayed that she _was_.

  'I think we'll rest awhile,' said Allan, and the three young folk satdown upon a patch of fragrant, springy heather, while Laddie, afterlooking at them for a minute, surprised at such an early halt, curledhimself up beside them.

  'I wish Father would get the yacht out soon,' said Allan, watching thesea and the fishing-boats.

  'Yes,' said Reggie; 'he is very late this year.'

  'He won't be long now,' said Allan. 'We are going to have visitorssoon. Father has written to ask Graham major and Graham minor andtheir Pater to come and stay with us as they have such long holidaysthis year, owing to the measles.'

  'Who are they?' inquired Reggie.

  'Fellows from my school. Did you never hear me speak of them?'

  '_I_ didn't,' said Tricksy. 'Are they nice boys?'

  'Decent enough.'

  'Big or little?'

  'One's a small fellow; only been at school one term. The other'sbigger; not more than eleven, though; more of an age for Reggie thanfor me.'

  Reggie looked indignant, but said nothing. There was nothing thatannoyed him so much as to be reminded that he was not yet a very bigboy.

  'Well,' said Allan, 'perhaps we had better be going, if you have restedenough, Tricksy. Hulloa, there's Euan Macdonnell, the coastguard,Neil's cousin; we'll stop and ask him if he can come out fishing withus some day soon.'

  'Good day, Euan,' said
the young people, pausing to speak, but thecoastguard only saluted and passed on as though he were in a hurry.

  Reggie looked at Allan in surprise.

  'Been sent on a message, I suppose,' said Allan, 'and hasn't time totalk. The whole island seems to be upset by this affair at thepost-office. I wish they'd hurry up and catch the fellow and be donewith it. What's the matter with Laddie now?'

  The collie, who had been sniffing about, following up a scent, hadsuddenly given a bark and sprang over a dyke, and was now yelping andbaying excitedly as he jumped about on the other side.

  'Hamish and Marjorie, I bet,' said Allan; and sure enough, two headsappeared above the dyke, a good-natured one and a mischievous one, thelatter crowned by a scarlet cap on the top of a mass of fair curly hair.

  'We thought we'd give you a surprise,' they said, 'but Laddie spoilt itfor us. Good dog, Laddie, lie down,' for Laddie's manifestations ofdelight were taking the form of a loud baying which drowned allattempts at conversation.

  'Trust, Laddie!' said Tricksy in her little soft voice; but Laddie tookno notice.

  'Laddie, trust!' said Reggie severely; and Laddie subsided at once,surprised that his attentions should be so little appreciated.

  Tricksy uttered a reproachful sigh, caused by her dog's inattention toher commands.

  'When does your mother expect us?' inquired Allan.

  'Any time before dinner,' said Hamish. 'That's half-past one, and it'sonly eleven now. We've got any amount of time. What do you say tocoming and looking at the gipsy encampment in the Corrie Wood? They'rebreaking up camp and leaving the island to-morrow, so we may not haveanother chance of seeing them.'

  'All right,' said the others, and they trooped off to the tiny woodnestling in a hollow through which a burn trickled, and from whence atrail of smoke came blowing across the fresh green foliage of the trees.

  All was bustle and stir in the gipsy encampment. Two carts werestanding at the entrance to the hollow, and upon these the gipsies werepiling their household goods--iron pots and kettles, bundles of rags,some gaudy crockery, and a variety of miscellaneous articles whose useit would be hard to determine.

  At the sight of the young people the gipsies smiled a welcome, and themen took off their hats. Some small black-eyed children toddledforward, and stood staring, with their fingers in their mouths.

  'Trust, Laddie!' said Allan; for two mongrel curs had rushed out andbarked, whereupon Laddie had stiffened his back and was growlingdefiance.

  Laddie was obliged to content himself with glaring at the other dogsand making a few remarks to express his contempt for gipsy dogs, andhis view of their impertinence in presuming to look at his young ladiesand gentlemen.

  'Tell your fortune, pretty lady,' said a woman to Marjorie, with asmile which displayed her white teeth; but Marjorie shook her head.

  'You are leaving Inchkerra?' said Allan to one of the men.

  'Yes, sir. We start for Ireland to-morrow, in a sailing boat.'

  'You haven't stayed very long,' observed Marjorie.

  'Three months, lady. A long time for the gipsies.'

  'Will you ever come back again?' inquired Marjorie.

  The man shook his head.

  'Can't say, lady. Maybe yes, maybe no. We never can tell. Thanks,master; good luck to you,' he said, touching his straggling forelock asAllan slipped a few coins into his hand.

  'Good-bye, masters; good-bye, pretty ladies,' cried the gipsies infarewell.

  Some distance from the hollow, a tall, loosely-made youth roseunexpectedly from where he had been basking in the sun, by the side ofa dyke which screened him from the cold wind.

  In the weak, handsome face and roving eyes the young people recognisedGibbie, the half-witted gipsy lad. An expression of disappointmentcrossed his face as he looked over the group and seemed to miss someone.

  'Neil no with you,' he murmured. 'Want to see Neil. Was not at home.'

  'Can we give him any message from you?' inquired Allan.

  'Tell Neil, Gibbie go away. Long way; want to see Neil to saygood-bye.'

  'Very well,' said Allan. 'When we see him, we'll tell him.'

  A crafty smile flitted over the lad's face, and he lowered his voice toa mysterious whisper.

  'Neil will be pleased soon,' he said. 'Good Neil, good Neil. Neilwill be very rich, richer than the Gorjos; has a piece of paper worthhundreds of pounds. Tell him to look for it. Gibbie go long way off.'

  'Poor fellow,' observed Allan to Hamish, as the gipsy returned to hislazy basking on the heather; 'he is quite crazy; can't speakconnectedly for two minutes at a time.'

  'There is one good point in Gibbie's character,' said Hamish; 'he knowsthat Neil saved his life, and he is grateful. I think the island won'tbe sorry to see the last of him, though. He hasn't lived with histribe for weeks. He had a den of his own in the banks of the burn thatflows past our house; a queer place, far up in the hills.'

  'Look,' said Reggie, 'that must be the gipsies' boat over there, offthe south side of the island; and a little boat is going out to it withsome of their things.'

  'And there are the carts going down,' said Allan; 'it won't be longbefore the camp is broken up.'

  'Pity we couldn't go gipsying for a little while,' observed Marjorie;'just for the summer. It would be such fun wandering about from placeto place. But look at the tide coming up in Cateran Bay; the waves aredashing on the shore and making the most beautiful foam. Would therebe time for us to go down to the beach for a little while?'

  'Plenty,' said Hamish; 'Mother doesn't expect us before one o'clock.'

  'Come along, then,' said Marjorie; 'let's run;' and they all raced downto the shore, Laddie with them, the dog jumping with all four paws offthe ground, and barking in anticipation of sport.

  Breeze and tide together were flinging up little breakers which curledon the shore and then retreated, only to be sent up again by the nextroller. A fascinating game was to run down to the very edge of aretreating wave, with one's toes almost within the line of foam; towait until it gathered itself up again, and then fly to avoid beingovertaken by the water which came hissing and bubbling over the pebbles.

  Laddie, after watching the fun for a minute or two, suddenly rushed offwith a bark, and returned dragging a huge flat stone which he depositedat Allan's feet; then he stood eagerly waiting, making a variety ofsigns to show Allan that he expected him to do something with it.

  'Fetch, Laddie!' said Allan, throwing the stone as far as he could.

  Laddie uttered a joyful yelp and sprang after it, returning with it inhis mouth to ask Allan to throw it again.

  'Laddie, fetch!' cried Allan, throwing it into the sea this time, andLaddie plunged into the water and came back dripping.

  He laid down the stone and shook himself, to the great inconvenience ofMarjorie; then he jumped about, baying for Allan to throw the stoneonce more.

  The shouts and laughter and Laddie's barking were making a tumult whichvied with the noise of wind and waves, when Hamish touched Allan's armand pointed to the sky.

  'Oh, I say,' said Allan, 'we really ought to go; it's going to pourlike anything, and the girls will get wet.'

  'I'm wet enough already, I think, especially about the feet,' murmuredTricksy; while Marjorie's lips tightened. She did not like the boys toshow that they thought her less hardy than themselves.

  Some large drops on the stones warned them to hasten; and they reachedthe doctor's house just as the storm burst.

  Mrs. MacGregor, a pretty, young-looking lady, ran down into the hall tomeet them.

  'My dear Tricksy,' she cried, as she took the little girl's wet, coldhand, 'you are soaking! Your feet are drenched!'

  'It's all right, Mrs. MacGregor,' piped Tricksy; 'we've been having afine game. Hamish, you've let Laddie in, and his feet are making wetmarks all over the floor!'

  'Never mind Laddie,' said Mrs. MacGregor; 'take her upstairs and giveher dry shoes and stockings, Marjorie, and then come to dinner, all o
fyou.'

  'You know, Marjorie,' observed Tricksy, as the elder girl somewhatanxiously assisted her to pull off her wet stockings; 'you know you arealways telling me that we must be plucky and do all the things theywant us to do when we play with boys, or else they think we're a bore.'

  'That's all very well, Tricksy,' replied Marjorie, 'but what shall wedo if you get ill? Your mother would stop your playing with usaltogether if that happened.'

  '_I_ get ill with playing out of doors and having fun,' returnedTricksy scornfully; 'I'm not such a duffer, Marjorie.'

  Just before dinner Dr. MacGregor came in, 'such a dear of a man,' asTricksy had once described him, with bright blue eyes and curly hairlike Marjorie, and a kind expression like Hamish.

  'How do you do, Reggie?' he said. 'How do you do, Allan? Do you likeschool as much as ever? My dear,' turning to his wife, 'I shall haveto start immediately after lunch, and here is a note asking you to----'

  The remainder of the sentence was lost, but the boys could see thatboth Dr. and Mrs. MacGregor were looking very grave.

  'I am sorry that Mrs. MacGregor and I must leave you,' said the doctorwhile the meal was in progress, 'but I daresay you will manage to amuseyourselves without getting into mischief; eh, Marjorie?' smiling at hisdaughter, whose eyes flashed a saucy answer. 'You can have the boatdown if the rain keeps off.'

  But the rain showed no disposition to keep off, despite the anxiousglances which were directed towards the window. When the cloudsgathered once more in threatening masses, and the rain came lashing thepanes, Dr. and Mrs. MacGregor took their departure in a closedcarriage, warning Hamish that the boat was not to be used unless thesea went down.

  'Bother!' said Tricksy, looking at the waves, which were tumbling overeach other and whitening with foam; 'what are we to do while it rains?'

  'Sit round the nursery fire, of course, and talk,' said Marjorie.

  An immense pile of peats was built up on the hearth of the cosy, untidyroom which had been the MacGregors' nursery; and the young folk satround the 'ingle-neuk' and discussed matters dear to the heart ofgamesome youth.

  Suddenly Marjorie looked up and said, 'Hurrah! the rain's stopped.What shall we do?'

  'Too stormy to get the boat out,' said Hamish, rising and going to thewindow; 'it's still very rough, and there will be another squall soon.'

  '_I_ know,' said Marjorie; 'let's play hide-and-seek. No, not arubbishy game in the house,' she said, meeting Allan's look ofdisapproval; 'a real good game out of doors, in the garden and thesheds and the ruins. The rain will only make it jollier, and those whomind getting wet are funks.'

  With the wind blowing in gusts, and sudden showers splashing down fromall the roofs, the game promised some fun. Dr. MacGregor's was afirst-rate place for hide-and-seek, with a number of outhouses builtround a paved court, and the ruins of an old castle overlooking thegarden.

  Marjorie and Reggie stayed at 'home' in the front lobby, where theycould hear calls both from out of doors or within; and the hidersdispersed themselves quickly.

  Soon three shouts were heard, coming from different directions; and thepursuers ran out into the rain, which was beginning to fall again.

  Hamish was quickly discovered in a window of the old ruin, for he couldnot resist the temptation of grinning good-naturedly down from hisperch; but he escaped along the broken flooring while they were waitingat the foot of a stairway, and reached 'home' before they were aware.

  'You didn't give us enough of a chase,' cried Marjorie to him throughthe streaming pane; then she went off, rather annoyed, to look for theothers.

  They hunted for some time among the outhouses, getting shower-baths ofdrops from the eaves; but no one was to be found. At last they saw amovement among some straw in the byre, and Marjorie made a dashforward, just too late to catch Allan, who slipped out and made for thedoor.

  Reggie barred his passage.

  'Unfair--different directions!' cried Allan; for it was the rule amongthe Stewarts and MacGregors that when two were chasing one they mustboth keep to the same route; and Reggie stood aside.

  They were pretty fairly matched, pursuers and pursued; and for a longtime Allan led the two others a chase among the maze of buildings; butat last, his foot slipping upon the wet paving-stones, he was capturedby a bold dash from Marjorie.

  'Only Tricksy now,' gasped Marjorie, pushing back her wet hair, whichwas clinging about her face; 'we haven't seen a sign of her; where canshe be?'

  'You have run enough,' suggested Allan; 'go in and let one of us takeyour place.'

  Marjorie flashed a glance of indignation at him, annoyed that he shouldsuppose that she was not going to see the thing out, and after drawinga few long breaths she and Reggie started off again.

  By this time the rain had ceased, and a pleasant smell was rising fromthe damp earth and dripping trees.

  No little footprints were to be seen in the garden; and it wasimpossible that Tricksy could have escaped observation had she been inthe ruins or in any of the outhouses.

  They hunted all over the house, then went into the field, and evenclimbed the dyke which separated the doctor's grounds from themoorland; but no Tricksy was to be seen.

  'I believe she has gone beyond bounds,' said Allan, who, with Hamish,had grown tired of waiting and had wandered out to see what was goingon; 'we said the garden and the field, you know.'

  'Not she,' declared Reggie, perched outside upon the dyke, with thewind drying his wet face and clothing; 'we have taught her to playfair. She is only lying low in some place that we haven't thought of.Let's shout to her to call "cuckoo."'

  They raised their voices and cried, 'Call cuckoo, Tricksy;' and Laddie,who had been shut in the house to keep him from spoiling sport, but whohad made good his escape behind the boys, pricked up his ears andresolved to be useful.

  A muffled voice was heard in response, and Laddie, with a bark, sprangtowards the peat-stack and stood before it, wagging his tail and tryingto make an entrance with nose and paws.

  Some of the peats were tumbled aside, and Tricksy emerged, looking veryindignant.

  'A nice way to play,' she said, 'setting Laddie on to me when youcouldn't find me yourselves.'

  They tried to explain, but Tricksy's eyes were full of contempt, andher small figure seemed to grow taller with offended dignity.

  'Such a nice hiding-place,' she said; 'and now you've gone and spoiltit all.'

  'Don't be a little silly, Tricksy,' said Reggie to her in an undertone;and Tricksy allowed her dignity to subside.

  Fresh hiding-places were chosen; and when at last the young people wereso tired as to be disinclined to run any more, Marjorie suggested goingindoors to see whether tea were ready.

  The dining-room table was bare, and all faces fell.

  'I'll just go into the kitchen and see what Elspeth is about,' saidMarjorie; 'perhaps the servants are forgetting us.'

  In the stone-floored kitchen, whither they all trooped after Marjorie,Elspeth was sitting knitting by the fireside.

  'Elspeth, when is tea going to be ready?' inquired Marjorie, ratherimpatiently.

  The girl looked up at her, then down again at her knitting withpretended indifference.

  'Tea, Miss Marjorie? I wass thinking you would not be wanting any teato-day.'

  Marjorie's lips tightened, but she kept down the rising temper with aneffort.

  'Why not?' she asked. 'Here are Allan and Reggie and Tricksy fromArdnavoir; and we want our tea, please.'

  Elspeth looked up, and seemed to see the others for the first time.

  'Would you ask the young ladies and gentle men to wipe their feet onthe rug, Miss Marjorie if you please? They are spoiling my kitchenfloor.'

  This request made the whole troop feel uncomfortable, and they beganshifting from one foot to the other, conscious that they must havebrought more mud into the house than the authorities were at all likelyto approve of.

  'All right,' said Marjorie impatiently; 'we are not coming in anyfurthe
r; but will you please get tea ready for us as soon as you can?'

  'Get tea ready! And how am I to do that, Miss Marjorie, if you please,when the girdle hass been taken away out of the kitchen? I cannot bemaking scones on the open fire.'

  Marjorie turned red and bit her lip.

  'Oh, never mind the girdle,' she said. 'We'll do without scones forone day.'

  'Indeed, Miss Marjorie, I never saw tea without scones. That may bethe way in foreign parts, but there never wass tea in the WestHighlands without scones; and I will be thinking you will have to waittill the girdle comes home again.'

  A flash darted out of Marjorie's eyes; and she remained rooted to thespot for a minute. Then she took a sudden resolve and turned away,elbowing the others out of the room.

  'Cat!' she muttered; 'I'll be even with her yet. Never mind, people;if she won't give us our tea we can get it for ourselves. Get cups andthings out of the pantry, Hamish; and Reggie, you come with me.'

  The larder window was rather high up from the ground and was secured byseveral iron bars.

  With some difficulty they pushed up the lower sash a little way; andthrough the opening thus made Reggie contrived to wriggle his slight,thin body.

  'Is there anything there worth carrying away?' said Marjorie, standingon tip-toe and peering in.

  'Here's a cake,' said Reggie; 'and there are several pots of jam.'

  'All right, hand them out. There's a pie; we might as well have that;serve Elspeth right for getting into a temper. Now let's come in withwhat we've got.'

  Reggie squeezed himself through the opening, feet foremost, and droppedto the ground.

  'Here--Hamish--Allan;' said Marjorie, entering the house; 'take thesethings to the dining-room. Have you any plates? No. I'll get themout of the pantry; and knives and spoons too. Bother, she's got theteapot in the kitchen; I'll have to go in and get it.'

  She strode into the kitchen with flashing eyes and a haughty step; thenstopped short in amazement.

  'Elspeth!' she exclaimed; 'whatever are you crying for?'

  There was no answer.

  'Is it because of the girdle?'

  The girl shook her head; the tears falling upon the knitting which shewas holding with trembling hands.

  'Is it because we are taking the things out of the larder?'

  'Not that, Miss Marjorie.'

  'Then whatever is the matter?'

  By this time all the others had crowded in, looking very muchastonished.

  'Elspeth, are you ill?' asked Tricksy, her large dark eyes growing veryround in her little face.

  'No, Miss Tricksy; no, Miss Marjorie; it will be none of that; it willbe Neil.'

  'Neil!' exclaimed Marjorie, while the others looked more and moreamazed. 'What's the matter with him? Neil is Elspeth's cousin, youknow,' she explained.

  'Neil, poor lad; he will hev been arrested, Miss Marjorie. They willhev taken him up for robbing the post-office! Eh, Miss Marjorie, yourmother said you weren't to know, and it iss me that will hev beentelling you. Och! the disgrace to an honest family!' and the girlthrew her apron over her head and moaned and lamented to herself inGaelic, while they all stood around her, speechless.