o speak to the
baker's daughter. Donal made no difficulty, and she entered, leaving
the door open as she found it.

Lowrie Leper's shop was lighted with only one dip, too dim almost to
show the sugar biscuits and peppermint drops in the window, that drew
all day the hungry eyes of the children. A pleasant smell of bread
came from it, and did what it could to entertain him in the all but
deserted street. While he stood no one entered or issued.

"She's having a long talk!" he said to himself, but for a long time was
not impatient. He began at length, however, to fear she must have been
taken ill, or have found something wrong in the house. When more than
half an hour was gone, he thought it time to make inquiry.

He entered therefore, shutting the door and opening it again, to ring
the spring-bell, then mechanically closing it behind him. Straightway
Mrs. Leper appeared from somewhere to answer the squall of the
shrill-tongued summoner. Donal asked if Eppy was ready to go. The
woman stared at him a moment in silence.

"Eppy wha, said ye?" she asked at length.

"Eppy Comin," he answered.

"I ken naething aboot her.--Lucy!"

A good-looking girl, with a stocking she was darning drawn over one
hand and arm, followed her mother into the shop.

"Whaur's Eppy Comin, gien ye please?" asked Donal.

"I ken naething aboot her. I haena seen her sin' this day week,"
answered the girl in a very straight-forward manner.

Donal saw he had been tricked, but judging it better to seek no
elucidation, turned with apology to go.

As he opened the door, there came through the house from behind a blast
of cold wind: there was an open outer door in that direction! The girl
must have slipped through the house, and out by that door, leaving her
squire to cool himself, vainly expectant, in the street! If she had
found another admirer, as probably she imagined, his polite attentions
were at the moment inconvenient!

But she had tried the trick too often, for she had once served her
fisherman in like fashion. Seeing her go into the baker's, Kennedy had
conjectured her purpose, and hurrying toward the issue from the other
exit, saw her come out of the court, and was again following her.

Donal hastened homeward. The moon rose. It was a lovely night.
Dull-gleaming glimpses of the river came through the light fog that
hovered over it in the rising moon like a spirit-river continually
ascending from the earthly one and resting