inute. Then she took a sudden resolve and turned away,
elbowing the others out of the room.

'Cat!' she muttered; 'I'll be even with her yet. Never mind, people;
if she won't give us our tea we can get it for ourselves. Get cups and
things out of the pantry, Hamish; and Reggie, you come with me.'

The larder window was rather high up from the ground and was secured by
several iron bars.

With some difficulty they pushed up the lower sash a little way; and
through the opening thus made Reggie contrived to wriggle his slight,
thin body.

'Is there anything there worth carrying away?' said Marjorie, standing
on tip-toe and peering in.

'Here's a cake,' said Reggie; 'and there are several pots of jam.'

'All right, hand them out. There's a pie; we might as well have that;
serve Elspeth right for getting into a temper. Now let's come in with
what we've got.'

Reggie squeezed himself through the opening, feet foremost, and dropped
to the ground.

'Here--Hamish--Allan;' said Marjorie, entering the house; 'take these
things to the dining-room. Have you any plates? No. I'll get them
out of the pantry; and knives and spoons too. Bother, she's got the
teapot in the kitchen; I'll have to go in and get it.'

She strode into the kitchen with flashing eyes and a haughty step; then
stopped short in amazement.

'Elspeth!' she exclaimed; 'whatever are you crying for?'

There was no answer.

'Is it because of the girdle?'

The girl shook her head; the tears falling upon the knitting which she
was holding with trembling hands.

'Is it because we are taking the things out of the larder?'

'Not that, Miss Marjorie.'

'Then whatever is the matter?'

By this time all the others had crowded in, looking very much
astonished.

'Elspeth, are you ill?' asked Tricksy, her large dark eyes growing very
round in her little face.

'No, Miss Tricksy; no, Miss Marjorie; it will be none of that; it will
be Neil.'

'Neil!' exclaimed Marjorie, while the others looked more and more
amazed. 'What's the matter with him? Neil is Elspeth's cousin, you
know,' she explained.

'Neil, poor lad; he will hev been arrested, Miss Marjorie. They will
hev taken him up for robbing the post-office! Eh, Miss Marjorie, your
mother said you weren't to know, and it iss me that will hev been
telling you. Och! the disgrace to an honest family!' and the girl
threw her apron over her head and moaned and lamented to herself in
Gaelic, while