out, Cinder?" said Mike one day, when they were
out together, after a long, hard morning's work up at the Ladelles, over
algebra and Latin, with the tutor who was resident at the Mount, the
Doctor sharing, however, in the cost. "You seem to have been so moony
and stupid lately."

"Have I?" said Vince starting.

"Yes, always going into brown studies. I know: you can't recollect that
problem in Euclid."

"What, the forty-seventh? Why, that's the one I recollect best.
Guess!"

"What you were thinking about?"

Vince nodded.

"Give it up," said Mike.

"The Scraw."

"What about it? That it's guarded by water goblins and sea serpents and
things, as old Joe calls them?"

"No," said Vince quietly: "I've been thinking about it ever since we
were out with him that day in the boat."

"Well, and what do you think?" said Mike, who while he talked was trying
how far he could jerk the flat pieces of oyster-shell, of which there
were plenty near, off the cliff; but with all his skill--and he could
throw far--they seemed, in the immensity around, as if they dropped
close to the cliff foot.

"I think, as I thought that day, that old Joe doesn't want us to go
there."

Mike was about to throw another shell, but he faced round at this with
his curiosity roused.

"Why?"

"Ah! that's what I want to know; and I can't think of any reason why he
shouldn't want us to go there. It seems so queer."

"Yes, it does seem queer," assented Mike.

"Of course the fishermen believe in all kinds of old women's tales about
ghosts and goblins, and ill-wishing and that sort of nonsense, just as
the women do about old Mother Remming's being a witch; but old Joe
always seemed to me to be such a hard, solid old chap, who would laugh
at a story about the fairies coming in the night and drying any one's
cow."

"Well, I always thought something of that sort; but what he says must be
right about the horrible currents among the rocks."

"Yes; there are fierce currents, I suppose, at some times of the tide."

"Well, that means it's dangerous."

"Of course it is, sometimes; but I'm not going to believe all he said."

"Nobody's ever been there."

"Indeed!"

"Oh yes, that's right," said Mike. "I've often heard the men talk about
what an awful place it was, and say they wouldn't go on any account."

"And did that scare you?"

"Well, I don't think it did, because I always felt afterwards that I
should like to climb somewhere along th