ented with
original composition.

"Goodbye, lad, an' Providence go wi' ye."

"Goodbye, uncle. I need not remind you to look after mother when I'm
away."

"No, nephy, you needn't; I'll do it whether or not."

"And Minnie, poor thing, she'll need a word of advice and comfort now
and then, uncle."

"And she shall have it, lad," replied the captain with a tremendous
wink, which was unfortunately lost on the nephew, in consequence of its
being night and unusually dark, "advice and comfort on demand, gratis;
for:--

"`Woman, in her hours of ease,
Is most uncommon hard to please;'

"But she _must_ be looked arter, ye know, and made of, d'ye see? so
Ruby, boy, farewell."

Half-an-hour before midnight was the time chosen for the sailing of the
sloop _Termagant_, in order that she might get away quietly and escape
the press-gang. Ruby and his uncle had taken the precaution to go down
to the harbour just a few minutes before sailing, and they kept as
closely as possible to the darkest and least-frequented streets while
passing through the town.

Captain Ogilvy returned by much the same route to his sister's cottage,
but did not attempt to conceal his movements. On the contrary, knowing
that the sloop must have got clear of the harbour by that time, he went
along the streets whistling cheerfully. He had been a noted, not to say
noisy, whistler when a boy, and the habit had not forsaken him in his
old age. On turning sharp round a corner, he ran against two men, one
of whom swore at him, but the other cried--

"Hallo! messmate, yer musical the night. Hey, Captain Ogilvy, surely I
seed you an' Ruby slinkin' down the dark side o' the market-gate half an
'oor ago?"

"Mayhap ye did, an' mayhap ye didn't," retorted the captain, as he
walked on; "but as it's none o' your business to know, I'll not tell
ye."

"Ay, ay? O but ye're a cross auld chap. Pleasant dreams t'ye."

This kindly remark, which was expressed by our friend Davy Spink, was
lost on the captain, in consequence of his having resumed his musical
recreation with redoubled energy, as he went rolling back to the cottage
to console Mrs Brand, and to afford "advice and comfort gratis" to
Minnie Gray.

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE BURGLARY.

On the night in question, Big Swankie and a likeminded companion, who
went among his comrades by the name of the Badger, had planned to commit
a burglary in the town, and it chanced that the former was about that