pen or
shut."

Ralph shuddered. It had been as he thought. Then he said,--

"Yes, yes; but you'll come now, like a brave fellow--'a braw chiel,'
you know."

Sim started at the pleasantry with which Ralph had tried to soothe his
spirits. It struck a painful memory. Ralph felt it too.

"Come," he said, in an altered tone.

"No," cried Sim, clasping his hands over his head. "They're worse than
wild beasts, they are. To-night I went up to the cave as usual. The
wind was blowing strong and keen in the valley; it had risen to a
tempest on the screes. I went in and turned up the bracken for my bed.
Then the rain began to fall; and the rain became hail, and the hail
became sleet, and pelted in upon me, it did. The wind soughed about my
lone home--my home!"

Again Sim reeled in the agony of his soul.

"This is peace to that wind," he continued; "yes, peace. Then the
stones began to rumble down the rocks, and the rain to pour in through
the great chinks in the roof of the cave. Yet I stayed there--I
stayed. Well, the ghyll roared louder and louder. It seemed to
overflow the gullock, it did. I heard the big bowders shifted from
their beds by the tumbling waters. They rolled with heavy thuds down
the brant sides of the fell--down, down, down. But I kept closer,
closer. Presently I heard the howl of the wolves--"

"No, Sim; not that, old friend." "Yes, the pack from Lauvellen. They'd
been driven out of their caves--not even they could live in their
caves tonight." The delirium of Sim's spirit seemed to overcome him.

"No more now, man," said Ralph, putting his arm about him. "You're
safe, at least, and all will be well with you."

"Wait. Nearer and nearer they came, nearer and nearer, till I knew
they were above me, around me. Yet I kept close, I did, I almost felt
their breath. Well, well, at last I saw two red eyes gleaming at me
through the darkness--"

"You're feverish to-night, Sim," interrupted Ralph.

"Then a great flash of lightning came. It licked the ground afore
me--ay, licked. Then a burst of thunder--it must have been a
thunderbolt--I couldn't hear the wind and sleet and water. I fainted,
that must have been it. When I came round I groped about me where I
lay--"

"A dream, Sim."

"No, it was no dream! What was it I touched? I was delivered! Thank
heaven, _that_ death was not mine. I rose, staggered out, and fled."

By the glimmering light from the windows of the inn--there came the
sound of laughter