ied Gwenny, with great amazement, standing on tiptoe to look
out, and staring as if she were weighing me; "he be bigger nor any
Doone! I shall knoo thee again, young man; no fear of that," she
answered, nodding with an air of patronage. "Now, missis, gae on
coortin', and I will gae outside and watch for 'ee." Though expressed
not over-delicately, this proposal arose, no doubt, from Gwenny's sense
of delicacy; and I was very thankful to her for taking her departure.

"She is the best little thing in the world," said Lorna, softly,
laughing, "and the queerest, and the truest. Nothing will bribe her
against me. If she seems to be on the other side, never, never doubt
her. Now, no more of your 'coortin',' John. I love you far too well
for that. Yes, yes, ever so much! If you will take a mean advantage
of me--as much as ever you like to imagine; and then you may double it
after that. Only go, do go, good John; kind, dear, darling John; if you
love me, go."

"How can I go without settling anything?" I asked, very sensibly. "How
shall I know of your danger now? Hit upon something; you are so quick.
Anything you can think of; and then I will go, and not frighten you."

"I have been thinking long of something," Lorna answered, rapidly, with
that peculiar clearness of voice which made every syllable ring like
music of a several note. "You see that tree with the seven rooks' nests,
bright against the cliffs there? Can you count them from above, do you
think? From a place where you would be safe, dear?"

"No doubt I can; or, if I cannot, it will not take me long to find a
spot whence I can do it."

"Gwenny can climb like any cat. She has been up there in the summer
watching the young birds day by day, and daring the boys to touch them.
There are neither birds nor eggs there now, of course, and nothing
doing. If you see but six rooks' nests, I am in peril, and want you.
If you see but five, I am carried off by Carver."

"Good God!" said I, at the mere idea, in a tone which frightened Lorna.

"Fear not, John," she whispered, sadly, and my blood grew cold at it;
"I have means to stop him, or at least to save myself. If you can come
within one day of that man's getting hold of me, you will find me quite
unharmed. After that you will find me, dead or alive, according to
circumstances, but in no case such that you need blush to look at me."

I only said, "God bless you, darling!" and she said the same to me, in
a very low, sad vo