Neil's cousin; we'll stop and ask him if he can come out fishing with
us some day soon.'

'Good day, Euan,' said the young people, pausing to speak, but the
coastguard only saluted and passed on as though he were in a hurry.

Reggie looked at Allan in surprise.

'Been sent on a message, I suppose,' said Allan, 'and hasn't time to
talk. The whole island seems to be upset by this affair at the
post-office. I wish they'd hurry up and catch the fellow and be done
with it. What's the matter with Laddie now?'

The collie, who had been sniffing about, following up a scent, had
suddenly given a bark and sprang over a dyke, and was now yelping and
baying excitedly as he jumped about on the other side.

'Hamish and Marjorie, I bet,' said Allan; and sure enough, two heads
appeared above the dyke, a good-natured one and a mischievous one, the
latter crowned by a scarlet cap on the top of a mass of fair curly hair.

'We thought we'd give you a surprise,' they said, 'but Laddie spoilt it
for us. Good dog, Laddie, lie down,' for Laddie's manifestations of
delight were taking the form of a loud baying which drowned all
attempts at conversation.

'Trust, Laddie!' said Tricksy in her little soft voice; but Laddie took
no notice.

'Laddie, trust!' said Reggie severely; and Laddie subsided at once,
surprised that his attentions should be so little appreciated.

Tricksy uttered a reproachful sigh, caused by her dog's inattention to
her commands.

'When does your mother expect us?' inquired Allan.

'Any time before dinner,' said Hamish. 'That's half-past one, and it's
only eleven now. We've got any amount of time. What do you say to
coming and looking at the gipsy encampment in the Corrie Wood? They're
breaking up camp and leaving the island to-morrow, so we may not have
another chance of seeing them.'

'All right,' said the others, and they trooped off to the tiny wood
nestling in a hollow through which a burn trickled, and from whence a
trail of smoke came blowing across the fresh green foliage of the trees.

All was bustle and stir in the gipsy encampment. Two carts were
standing at the entrance to the hollow, and upon these the gipsies were
piling their household goods--iron pots and kettles, bundles of rags,
some gaudy crockery, and a variety of miscellaneous articles whose use
it would be hard to determine.

At the sight of the young people the gipsies smiled a welcome, and the
men took off their hats. Some