e times, an' he walked quick ben to the
room. I cried oot to him to come back, but he didna come, so I sent
Joey for him. Joey came runnin' back to me sayin', 'Mother, mother, am
awfu' fleid (frightened), for my father's greetin' sair.'"

"A' thae things took a haud o' Joey, an' he ended in gien us a fleg
(fright). I was sleepin' ill at the time, an' Hendry was ben sleepin'
in the room wi' Leeby, Joey bein' wi' me. Ay, weel, one nicht I woke
up in the dark an' put oot my hand to 'im, an' he wasna there. I sat
up wi' a terrible start, an' syne I kent by the cauld 'at the door maun
be open. I cried oot quick to Hendry, but he was a soond sleeper, an'
he didna hear me. Ay, I dinna ken hoo I did it, but I got ben to the
room an' shook him up. I was near daft with fear when I saw Leeby
wasna there either. Hendry couldna tak it in a' at aince, but sune he
had his trousers on, an' he made me lie down on his bed. He said he
wouldna move till I did it, or I wouldna hae dune it. As sune as he
was oot o' the hoose crying their names I sat up in my bed listenin'.
Sune I heard speakin', an' in a minute Leeby comes runnin' in to me,
roarin' an' greetin'. She was barefeeted, and had juist her nichtgown
on, an' her teeth was chatterin'. I took her into the bed, but it was
an hour afore she could tell me onything, she was in sic a state.

"Sune after Hendry came in carryin' Joey. Joey was as naked as Leeby,
and as cauld as lead, but he wasna greetin'. Instead o' that he was
awfu' satisfied like, and for all Hendry threatened to lick him he
wouldna tell what he an' Leeby had been doin'. He says, though, says
he, 'Ye'll no gang awa noo, mother; no, ye'll bide noo.' My bonny
laddie, I didna fathom him at the time.

"It was Leeby 'at I got it frae. Ye see, Joey had never seen me gaen
ony gait withoot my staff, an' he thocht if he hod it I wouldna be able
to gang awa. Ay, he planned it all oot, though he was but a bairn, an'
lay watchin' me in my bed till I fell asleep. Syne he creepit oot o'
the bed, an' got the staff, and gaed ben for Leeby. She was fleid, but
he said it was the only wy to mak me 'at I couldna gang awa. It was
juist ower there whaur thae cabbages is 'at he dug the hole wi' a
spade, an' buried the staff. Hendry dug it up next mornin'."

CHAPTER VII

THE STATEMENT OF TIBBIE BIRSE

On a Thursday Pete Lownie was buried, and when Hendry returned from the
funeral Jess asked if Davit Lunan had b