, to be only an individual swimming in
toward shore from a greater distance than usual.

A little matter excites curiosity in such places.

The man's head looked like a spot of ink.

Sandy Liston was minding his own business, lazily mending a skait-net,
which he had attached to a crazy old herring-boat hauled up to rot.

Christie sat down, pale and languid, by him, on a creepie that a lass
who had been baiting a line with mussels had just vacated; suddenly she
seized Jean's arm with a convulsive motion; Jean looked up--it was the
London steamboat running out from Leith to Granton Pier to take up her
passengers for London. Charles Gatty was going by that boat; the look
of mute despair the poor girl gave went to Jean's heart; she ran hastily
from the group, and cried out of sight for poor Christie.

A fishwife, looking through a telescope at the swimmer, remarked: "He's
coming in fast; he's a gallant swimmer, yon--

"Can he dee't?" inquired Christie of Sandy Liston.

"Fine thaat," was the reply; "he does it aye o' Sundays when ye are at
the kirk."

"It's no oot o' the kirk window ye'll hae seen him, Sandy, my mon," said
a young fishwife.

"Rin for my glass ony way, Flucker," said Christie, forcing herself to
take some little interest.

Flucker brought it to her, she put her hand on his shoulder, got slowly
up, and stood on the creepie and adjusted the focus of her glass; after
a short view, she said to Flucker:

"Rin and see the nook." She then leveled her glass again at the swimmer.

Flucker informed her the nook said "half eleven"--Scotch for "half past
ten."

Christie whipped out a well-thumbed almanac.

"Yon nook's aye ahint," said she. She swept the sea once more with her
glass, then brought it together with a click, and jumped off the stool.
Her quick intelligence viewed the matter differently from all the
others.

"Noow," cried she, smartly, "wha'll lend me his yawl?"

"Hets! dinna be sae interferin', lassie," said a fishwife.

"Hae nane o' ye ony spunk?" said Christie, taking no notice of the
woman. "Speak, laddies!"

"M' uncle's yawl is at the pier-head; ye'll get her, my woman," said a
boy.

"A schell'n for wha's first on board," said Christie, holding up the
coin.

"Come awa', Flucker, we'll hae her schell'n;" and these two worthies
instantly effected a false start.

"It's no under your jackets," said Christie, as she dashed after them
like the wind.

"Haw! haw! haw!" laughed Sandy