er herself, when she came
forward to serve her customers, was pale and had red eyes.

'Is anything the matter, Mrs. MacAlister?' asked Marjorie, while the
others looked at the untidy shop in surprise.

'Indeed, Miss Marjorie, I will just be having my shop broken into this
night; and they will be opening the post-box and taking away a lot of
the letters,' and the woman threw herself into a chair and began
talking and lamenting in Gaelic, while the children crowded together
open-eyed.

'No, Master Reggie--no, Miss Marjorie; do not be touching anything,'
said Mrs. MacAlister hurriedly, as they approached the shattered
letter-box; 'it hass all to remain as it iss until the chief constable
and the laird hev seen it; and they will be bringing the Sheriff from
Stornwell; it iss an unlucky day for a poor woman like me, whateffer.'

'It's a dreadful thing,' said Marjorie; 'I hope they'll catch the
thief, Mrs. MacAlister.'

Mr. Stewart, accompanied by the stranger and the island constable, was
approaching the door, so the young people trooped out into the street,
feeling greatly excited.

'Who do you think has done it, Allan?' asked Tricksy in an awestruck
voice.

Allan did not answer, and Reggie said, 'How can he tell, Tricksy?'
somewhat curtly.

Tricksy subsided, and a cart laden with peats coming by, Allan stopped
the driver and asked him to give them a 'lift.'

The man helped Tricksy into the cart, and the others scrambled in the
best way they could, and settled themselves among the peats.

'It's a dreadful business this,' said Marjorie, her eyes shining
brighter and bluer with excitement.

'I don't believe such a thing has ever happened with us before,' said
Allan; 'our people have always had the credit of being very honest.'

'Who can it have been?' said Hamish, after considering for a minute.
'I can't believe that any of our people would have done it.'

'There will be no end of a row,' said Reggie, speaking for the first
time. 'Father will have his work cut out for him, as he is a J.P. now.'

'Yes, and the Sheriff coming here, and everything,' said Marjorie.
'How will you like to meet your friend the Sheriff again, Tricksy?'

There was no reply.

Tricksy had fallen asleep among the peats, her head pillowed upon her
arm, and her soft, dark waves of hair falling over her face.

The others began to realise how sleepy they were, after having risen
before sunrise and spent several hours in the strong sea a