ye intirely this mornin'.
Howld on," (he wiped it here, and applying it again to the telescope,
proceeded); "wan, tshoo, three, _four_! No mistake about it. Try agin.
Wan, tshoo, three, FOUR! An' yet the ball's up there as cool as a
cookumber, tellin' a big lie; ye know ye are," continued Ned,
apostrophising the ball, and readjusting the glass. "There ye are, as
bold as brass--av ye're not copper--tellin' me that everythin's goin' on
as usual, whin I can see with me two eyes (one after the other) that
there's _four_ men on the rock, whin there should be only _three_!
Well, well," continued Ned, after a pause, and a careful examination of
the Bell Rock, which being twelve miles out at sea could not be seen
very distinctly in its lower parts, even through a good glass, "the day
afther to-morrow'll settle the question, Misther Ball, for then the
Relief goes off, and faix, if I don't guv' ye the lie direct I'm not an
Irishman."

With this consolatory remark, Ned O'Connor descended to the rooms below,
and told his wife, who immediately told all the other wives and the
neighbours, so that ere long the whole town of Arbroath became aware
that there was a mysterious stranger, a _fourth_ party, on the Bell
Rock!

Thus it came to pass that, when the relieving boat went off, numbers of
fishermen and sailors and others watched it depart in the morning, and
increased numbers of people of all sorts, among whom were many of the
old hands who had wrought at the building of the lighthouse, crowded the
pier to watch its return in the afternoon.

As soon as the boat left the rock, those who had "glasses" announced
that there was an "extra man in her."

Speculation remained on tiptoe for nearly three hours, at the end of
which time the boat drew near.

"It's a man, anyhow," observed Captain Ogilvy, who was one of those near
the outer end of the pier.

"I say," observed his friend the "leftenant", who was looking through a
telescope, "if--that's--not--Ruby--Brand--I'll eat my hat without
sauce!"

"You don't mean--let me see," cried the captain, snatching the glass out
of his friend's hand, and applying it to his eye. "I do believe!--yes!
it is Ruby, or his ghost!"

By this time the boat was near enough for many of his old friends to
recognise him, and Ruby, seeing that some of the faces were familiar to
him, rose in the stern of the boat, took off his hat and waved it.

This was the signal for a tremendous cheer from those