ghtened to-day
when we were in his house. Now what had he to be frightened about?"

"I don't know," said Neal, "but I agree with you. The man certainly
wasn't play-acting. He was in real fear."

"I think," said Hope, "that he was afraid the soldiers would take us and
hang us."

"But," said Neal, "why should he fear that when he has betrayed us?"

"The human heart," said Hope, after a pause, "is a strange thing. The
Book tells us that no man is altogether good; no, not one, and that's
true. Never was a truer word. We try, lad, we try, and the grace of God
works in us, but there remains the old leaven of evil; ay, it's there,
even in the heart of a saint. Now, it isn't written, but I think it's
just as true that there's no man altogether bad. There's a spark of good
somewhere in the worst of us, if we could but get at it. There's a spark
of good in Finlay."

"How can there be?" said Neal, angrily. "The man's a spy, an informer, a
paid liar, a villain that takes gold and perjures himself."

"That's true, over true. And yet he wanted to save our lives to-day. I
tell you the man's not all bad. There's something of the grace of God
left in him after all."

Neal was not inclined to argue about the matter. He sat silent, watching
star after star shine out of the moonless sky. After a long silence Hope
spoke again.

"There are men among us who mean to take Finlay's life. I can't
altogether blame them. He deserves to die. But Neal, lad, don't you have
act or part in that. Remember the word,--'Vengeance is mine and I will
repay, saith the Lord.' If there's a spark of good in him at all, who
are we that we should cut him off from the chance of repentance? 'The
bruised reed shall he not break; the smoking flax shall he not quench.'
Remember that, Neal."

From far down the side of the hill the sound of a woman's voice reached
them faintly. It drew nearer.

"That's some slip of a lassie from off the farms below us," said Hope.
"She's looking out for some cow that's strayed."

"She's singing," said Neal. "I catch the fall of the tune now and then."

"She's coming nearer. It can't be a cow she's seeking. No beast would
stray that far up amongst the heather and the stones."

The voice came more and more clearly. The words of the song reached
them--

"I would I were in Ballinderry,
I would I were in Aghalee,
I would I were in bonny Ram's Island
Sitting under an ivy tree.
Ochone, ochone!"