rns in the Garple."

"Well done, man. Had you many casualties?"

"We're a' a wee thing battered, but nothing to hurt. I'm the worst,
for one o' them had a grip o' me for about three seconds, and Gosh! he
was fierce."

"They're beaten off for the night, anyway?"

"Ay, for the night. But they'll come back, never fear. That's why I
said that things had come to a cripus."

"What's the news from the House?"

"A quiet day, and no word o' Lean or Dobson."

Dickson nodded. "They were hunting me."

"Mr. Heritage has gone to bide in the Hoose. They were watchin' the
Garple Dean, so I took him round by the Laver foot and up the rocks.
He's a souple yin, yon. We fund a road up the rocks and got in by the
verandy. Did ye ken that the lassie had a pistol? Well, she has, and
it seems that Mr. Heritage is a good shot wi' a pistol, so there's some
hope thereaways.... Are the jools safe?"

"Safe in the bank. But the jools were not the main thing."

Dougal nodded. "So I was thinkin'. The lassie wasn't muckle the
easier for gettin' rid o' them. I didn't just quite understand what
she said to Mr. Heritage, for they were aye wanderin' into foreign
langwidges, but it seems she's terrible feared o' somebody that may
turn up any moment. What's the reason I can't say. She's maybe got a
secret, or maybe it's just that she's ower bonny."

"That's the trouble," said Dickson, and proceeded to recount his
interview with the factor, to which Dougal gave close attention. "Now
the way I read the thing is this. There's a plot to kidnap that lady
for some infernal purpose, and it depends on the arrival of some person
or persons, and it's due to happen in the next day or two. If we try to
work it through the police alone, they'll beat us, for Loudon will
manage to hang the business up until it's too late. So we must take on
the job ourselves. We must stand a siege, Mr. Heritage and me and you
laddies, and for that purpose we'd better all keep together. It won't
be extra easy to carry her off from all of us, and if they do manage it
we'll stick to their heels.... Man, Dougal, isn't it a queer thing
that whiles law-abiding folk have to make their own laws?... So my
plan is that the lot of us get into the House and form a garrison. If
you don't, the tinklers will come back and you'll no' beat them in the
daylight."

"I doubt no'," said Dougal. "But what about our meat?"

"We must lay in provisions. We'll get what we can f