ickly at his mother's
feet. Almost as quickly a fair vision appeared in the doorway of the
inner room, and was clasped in the young sailor's arms with the most
thorough disregard of appearances, not to mention propriety.

While this scene was enacting, the worthy captain was engaged in active
proceedings, which at once amused and astonished his nephew, and the
nature and cause of which shall be revealed in the next chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

RUBY IN DIFFICULTIES.

Having thrust his nephew into the cottage, Captain Ogilvy's first
proceeding was to close the outer shutter of the window and fasten it
securely on the inside. Then he locked, bolted, barred, and chained the
outer door, after which he shut the kitchen door, and, in default of any
other mode of securing it, placed against it a heavy table as a
barricade.

Having thus secured the premises in front, he proceeded to fortify the
rear, and, when this was accomplished to his satisfaction, he returned
to the kitchen, sat down opposite the widow, and wiped his shining pate.

"Why, uncle, are we going to stand out a siege that you take so much
pains to lock up?"

Ruby sat down on the floor at his mother's feet as he spoke, and Minnie
sat down on a low stool beside him.

"Maybe we are, lad," replied the captain; "anyhow, it's always well to
be ready--

"`Ready, boys, ready,
We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.'"

"Come uncle, explain yourself."

"Explain myself, nephy? I can neither explain myself nor anybody else.
D'ye know, Ruby, that you're a burglar?"

"Am I, uncle? Well, I confess that that's news."

"Ay, but it's true though, at least the law in Arbroath says so, and if
it catches you, it'll hang you as sure as a gun."

Here Captain Ogilvy explained to his nephew the nature of the crime that
was committed on the night of his departure, the evidence of his guilt
in the finding part of the plate in the garden, coupled with his sudden
disappearance, and wound up by saying that he regarded him, Ruby, as
being in a "reg'lar fix."

"But surely," said Ruby, whose face became gradually graver as the case
was unfolded to him, "surely it must be easy to prove to the
satisfaction of everyone that I had nothing whatever to do with this
affair?"

"Easy to prove it!" said the captain in an excited tone; "wasn't you
seen, just about the hour of the robbery, going stealthily down the
street, by Big Swankie and Davy Spink, both of whom wil