be showing him his name written on the order; and he
had to own that it wass his handwriting, but he will not be knowing how
it had come on the order. Then when some of the people didn't seem to
pelieve him, he wass ferry angry again, wass Neil; and when the Sheriff
said he wass to go and pe tried at Edinburgh he went out of the court
in a terrible rage and a fury; and he said to us ahl that he would not
go to Edinburgh, because if ta people here who wass his friends didn't
peliefe him, they would not pe peliefing him neither in Edinburgh where
they wass ahl strangers to him, and that he would be finding some way
of escaping pefore he wass sent there and not be pringing disgrace upon
an honest family. He will be saying a lot of foolish things, will
Neil, puir lad.'

Mr. and Mrs. Stewart were in the hall when their children arrived.
Tricksy flew into her mother's arms and burst into tears; Allan turned
a grave, concerned face towards his parents; and Reggie looked
inquiringly at his father without speaking.

'I see that you have been told about Neil,' said the laird in his kind
voice. 'We had been hoping that the matter might have been cleared up
without delay, and that it would be unnecessary that you should be
informed of it. However, you need not despair; Neil is not the lad to
have committed a dishonest action, and I am convinced that we shall
find some evidence that will clear him.'

'And now,' said Mrs. Stewart, 'you must all go to bed, Allan as well as
the others. It is late, and Tricksy is quite exhausted. Sleep well;
you don't know what news may come in the morning! Something may be
found out by that time.'

'I am sure,' said Tricksy still tearfully to Reggie as he said
good-night to her in her little bed; 'I don't know what I should do if
I hadn't a mother! It's great fun running about with you and the
others, and staying out-of-doors for whole days at a time; but when we
get hurt or sorry, it's Mummie that we want!'

Little sleep came to the boys that night. Each turned and tossed
uneasily upon his bed, trying not to disturb the other; falling into
broken dreams of being with Neil on the rocks in their own island, and
awakening to a sense of the reality.

Early in the morning it became useless to keep up the pretence any
longer. They rose and dressed and went out-of-doors.

By the garden gate two shaggy ponies were standing; and the boys were
not at all surprised to see Marjorie and Hamish, w