pass in the waggonette to the village
of Cove for a day's sea-fishing. They were driven by Ivor Donaldson.

"You'll not have been in these parts before, sir?" said Ivor, who was a
quiet, polite, and sociable man when not under the influence of drink.

"No, never," answered Mabberly, who sat on the seat beside him; "and if
it had not been for our misfortune, or the carelessness of that unknown
steamer, I should probably never have known of the existence of your
beautiful island. At least, I would have remained in ignorance of its
grandeur and beauty."

"That proves the truth of the south-country sayin', sir,--`It's an ill
wind that blaws nae guid.'"

"It does, indeed; for although the loss of my father's yacht is a very
considerable one, to have missed the hospitality of the laird of
Kinlossie, and the rambling over your magnificent hills, would have been
a greater misfortune."

The keeper, who cherished a warm feeling for old Mr Gordon, and admired
him greatly, expressed decided approval of the young man's sentiments,
as was obvious from the pleased smile on his usually grave countenance,
though his lips only gave utterance to the expression, "Fery true, sir;
you are not far wrong."

At the Eagle Pass they halted a few minutes to breathe the horses.
Eddie and Junkie, of course, jumped down, followed by James McGregor,
with whom they had already formed a friendship.

"Come away, an' we'll show you the place where Milly fell down. Come
along, quicker, Shames," cried Junkie, adopting the name that the
skipper used; for the boy's love of pleasantry not infrequently betrayed
him into impudence.

With a short laugh, Mabberly turned to Ivor, and asked if Shames was the
Gaelic for James.

"No, sir" replied the keeper; "but James is the English for Shames."

"Ha! you are quoting now--or rather, misquoting--from the lips of some
Irishman."

"Weel, sir, I never heard it said that quota-ashun wass a sin," retorted
Ivor; then, turning to the stupendous cliff that frowned above them,
"Hev ye heard of the prophecy, sir, aboot this cliff?"

"No. What is it?"

"It's said that the cliff is to be the scene of a ghost story, a love
story, and a murder all at the same time."

"Is that all, Ivor? Did the prophet give no indication how the stories
were to end, or who the murderer is to be, or the murdered one?"

"Never a word, sir; only they wass all to be aboot the same time.
Indeed, the prophet, whether man or wuman