beauty, he could not help being charmed by the scenery
through which he passed: the purple heather, which was now in its
glory, made the wild moorlands wondrous for their beauty, while the
valleys through which the rushing streams passed simply enchanted him.

Presently he came to a lonely valley in a district which seemed almost
entirely uninhabited. Not a soul was in sight, and scarcely a sound
disturbed the silence. On each side of him, great heather-covered
hills sloped up to the sky, while at his feet a stream coiled its way
down the valley. Tramping along the narrow road which skirted the
stream, he presently saw some cattle rushing wildly around, and he
judged by the cries he heard that someone was greatly distressed. It
was not long before he saw what this meant. A young girl was trying to
keep some cattle together, but they, being in a turbulent mood, refused
to go the way she wished. Vainly she went hither and thither, seeking
to guide them into a path which led over the hills. For two or three
minutes Douglas Graham watched her, and then, seeing her dilemma, went
up to her.

She was evidently a Scotch peasant girl, as indicated by the clothes
she wore and by her hard, toilworn hands. Nevertheless, at first sight
of her Douglas was attracted, and for good reason--the face of the
girl, once seen, was not soon forgotten. During the time he had been
in Scotland it had seemed to him that the Scotch women were
hard-featured, uninteresting, and altogether unlovely; but this girl
was different. There was something of the savage in her, and yet she
possessed a charm which fascinated the young man. Her black hair hung
in curling and tangled tresses over her shoulders; her eyes were almost
as black as her hair and shone brightly. A kind of gipsy beauty she
possessed, and her eyes, her sensitive mouth, her square chin spoke of
a nature out of the ordinary.

"If you will tell me what you wish," he said, "I will help you."

She looked at him with a start of surprise, and for a moment he thought
she shrank from him. She seemed as shy as a young colt, and was
apparently frightened at his sudden appearance. As she looked at him,
however, her confidence came back. He was different from the raw
Scottish youths to whom she was accustomed. His pleasant smile and
laughing eyes reassured her. "I am trying to take the kine home," she
said, "but I think the witches have got hold of them. I never saw them
like th