of yours, Neil.'

The tall lad looked gratified. He was a handsome youth of about
seventeen, dressed in the rough clothes of a fisherman, but refined in
appearance, with a straight nose, dark blue eyes, and curly black hair.

'I will be thinking that you and the others had as much to do with it
as I had, Miss Marjorie,' he replied.

'Not at all, old fellow,' said Reggie, who always spoke to his friend
as though he were a boy of his own age; 'not at all; we never could
have made the place what it is if it hadn't been for you. Hulloa,
Hamish, old chap,' he added good-humouredly, as a somewhat
sleepy-looking, fair-haired boy joined the group--'reached the top?'

Marjorie looked angry, as she always did when Reggie Stewart assumed
patronising airs towards her brother.

'Yes,' replied Hamish simply; 'I thought there was no hurry, as the
steamer won't be in for a while, and I was trying to reach down for
these little things. Look, Tricksy, I thought you might like to have
them--two young puffins, not long hatched.'

'O Hamish, what _lovely_ little things!' cried Tricksy, her eyes
growing large and her little round face dimpling with pleasure; 'it
_was_ good of you to get them for me.'

At this moment Laddie, who had been standing impatiently beside the
group, pricked up his ears with a growl, looking at something a short
distance away.

'What's the matter with you, Laddie?' said Reggie.

'He's looking at that man over there,' said Marjorie; 'who is it? He
seems to want to speak to you, Neil.'

Neil looked round and then reddened slightly.

'It will be that poor fellow Gibbie Mackerrach, one of the band of
gipsies who are staying here just now,' he said. 'Go away, Gibbie,' he
added in Gaelic, shaking his head, since it was unlikely that the gipsy
would be able to hear distinctly where he stood; 'I can't come.'

'It's the lad who isn't quite right in his mind, isn't it?' said
Marjorie; 'the one whom you helped when his boat was upset on the loch?'

'Yes, it will be the poor fellow who had the ducking,' replied Neil.
'He will be quite harmless, only a little odd. You will nefer be
seeing him with the others; he will always be wandering about by
himself, and sleeping in all kinds of places. Och! but this will not
do though; he is meddling with our coats that we took off when we were
going to climb. Hi, Gibbie! you must not be touching these things.'

The lad's handsome, foolish face became overspread with