stion is, Are ye comin' with me? Mind, ye've
sworn. But if ye're no, I'm going mysel', though I'll no' deny I'd be
glad o' company. You anyway--" he added, nodding at Heritage. "Maybe
auld McCunn wouldn't get through the coal-hole."

"You're an impident laddie," said the outraged Dickson. "It's no'
likely we're coming with you. Breaking into other folks' houses! It's
a job for the police!"

"Please yersel'," said the Chieftain, and looked at Heritage.

"I'm on," said that gentleman.

"Well, just you set out the morn as if ye were for a walk up the Garple
glen. I'll be on the road and I'll have orders for ye."

Without more ado Dougal left by way of the back kitchen. There was a
brief denunciation from Mrs. Morran, then the outer door banged and he
was gone.

The Poet sat still with his head in his hands, while Dickson, acutely
uneasy, prowled about the floor. He had forgotten even to light his
pipe. "You'll not be thinking of heeding that ragamuffin boy," he
ventured.

"I'm certainly going to get into the House tomorrow," Heritage
answered, "and if he can show me a way so much the better. He's a
spirited youth. Do you breed many like him in Glasgow?"

"Plenty," said Dickson sourly. "See here, Mr. Heritage. You can't
expect me to be going about burgling houses on the word of a blagyird
laddie. I'm a respectable man--aye been. Besides, I'm here for a
holiday, and I've no call to be mixing myself up in strangers' affairs."

"You haven't. Only you see, I think there's a friend of mine in that
place, and anyhow there are women in trouble. If you like, we'll say
goodbye after breakfast, and you can continue as if you had never
turned aside to this damned peninsula. But I've got to stay."

Dickson groaned. What had become of his dream of idylls, his gentle
bookish romance? Vanished before a reality which smacked horribly of
crude melodrama and possibly of sordid crime. His gorge rose at the
picture, but a thought troubled him. Perhaps all romance in its hour
of happening was rough and ugly like this, and only shone rosy in
retrospect. Was he being false to his deepest faith?

"Let's have Mrs. Morran in," he ventured. "She's a wise old body and
I'd like to hear her opinion of this business. We'll get common sense
from her."

"I don't object," said Heritage. "But no amount of common sense will
change my mind."

Their hostess forestalled them by returning at that moment to the
kitchen.