was heavy--perhaps for his old friend, standing there with
uplifted face, perhaps on account of the words he was uttering, perhaps
in contrition. In a few minutes he would go forward, and take the old
preacher by the arm, and try, as he had once tried before, to lead him
to rest and shelter from so vain an intensity of prayer. But just now he
would wait to hear the words he said. He could not but wait, for so
dull, so silent, did all things remain, that the earnestness of the
expectant band made itself felt as an agony of hope waning to despair.

Absorbed in this, Alec heard what came to him as harsh profane speech;
and yet it was not this; it was the really modest address of a young man
who felt constrained to speak to him.

"I don't know," he said nervously (his accent was American), "who _you_
may be, but I just wish to state that I've a sort of notion one of those
fellows right down there means mischief to one of these poor ladies in
white, who is his wife. I ain't very powerful myself, but, I take it,
you're pretty strong, aren't you?"

Alec gave impatient assent; but the men whom he was asked to watch
approached no nearer to the women but remained behind the preacher.

All this time old Cameron prayed on, and while it might be that hope in
his followers was failing, in his voice there was increasing gladness
and fervour.

The clouds above shifted a little. To those wrapped in true anticipation
their shifting was as the first sign of a descending heaven. Somewhere
behind the thick clouds there was a crescent moon, and when in the upper
region of the sky a rift was made in the deep cloud cover, though she
did not shine through, the sky beyond was lit by her light, and the
upper edges of cloud were white as snow.

As the well of clear far light was opened to the old man's gaze, his
prayer stopped suddenly, and he stood only looking upwards. They did not
see so much as know from the manner in which his voice had failed, that
for him, at least, there were moments of ecstasy in the assurance of
hope.

"Poor fellow!" muttered Alec under his breath, for he felt the poignant
disappointment of the awakening.

A sweet sound made some of them turn an instant toward the wood, for a
little bird, disturbed in its hiding there, lilted forth a twittering
song of joy.

Its notes had not ceased when Alec heard a gasp of terror from the lady
near him, and saw, as one sees an act there is no time to avert, that
one of the