they all stood around her, speechless.

CHAPTER IV

THE COMPACT

'Neil!' said Reggie; 'it's impossible.'

Marjorie had become deadly white, and Allan pushed the hair back from
his forehead and stood staring, his hands in his pockets. Reggie
pranced backwards and forwards, in uncontrollable excitement, while
Tricksy's dark eyes were growing as large as saucers in her little face.

'Elspeth,' said Marjorie sharply; 'you're talking nonsense, it can't be
true.'

'Indeed, Miss Marjorie, it's the truth I will be telling you; the
police came and arrested him before his mother's eyes that very day
just after he had been out with you on the boat, and he's before the
Sheriff in Stornwell this very day!'

'But, Elspeth, he did not do it! Nobody could believe that old Neil
would do such a thing!'

'Indeed, Master Allan, there are those that do, although Neil, poor
laddie, would no more do such a thing than the laird himsel, or the
king upon his throne! Appearances are against him, poor lad; and it's
for appearances that they've arrested him.'

'What appearances, Elspeth? Tell us about it?'

'Well, Miss Marjorie, it's just this; one of the money orders that was
stolen was sent back from Edinburgh Post Office; and it was Neil who
had sent it away in a letter. It's from that they make out that it was
Neil who stole it.'

'Neil couldn't have done such a thing,' broke in Reggie, with signs of
a storm in his voice.

'Does Mother know? and Father?' asked Tricksy breathlessly.

'Indeed, Miss Tricksy, the laird's away at the trial, and Mrs. Stewart
too, to be with Mrs. Macdonnell, poor soul; and Dr. and Mrs. MacGregor
went away this afternoon. The whole island's away, except just those
whose work obliges them to stay; and it's a sore disgrace to a
respectable family, whateffer.'

'That's all right then, if father's there,' said Reggie confidently.
'He knows Neil far too well to believe such a thing of him, no matter
what may have happened.'

'The laird can't help him much if the case goes against him, Master
Reggie. It's an awful thing that the money order should have come out
of the poor lad's letter; and it looks very bad.'

'But Neil couldn't have taken it,' protested Reggie; 'no matter where
the order came from, it wasn't Neil who stole it.'

'Well, anyhow,' said Tricksy, 'I'll never speak to the Sheriff again,
no matter what he does, if he lets Neil be put in prison.'

'The Sheriff only has to do h