he ruins of
Dun-severic Castle, and then went on till his feet were stumbling among
the graves of Templeastra, where the dust of his mother lay. It was dark
now. He guessed that he must have been an hour and a half on his way. He
came close to the manse--his home. Below him lay Ballintoy Strand, with
its sentinel white rocks which keep eternal watch against invading seas.
Between him and his home there was the road to cross and the meadow to
wade through. It must, as he guessed, be eleven o'clock. His father
and Hannah Macaulay would be in bed. He would have to rouse them with
cautious tapping upon window panes.

He reached the back of the house at last, and saw, to his amazement,
that a light burned in the kitchen, and that the door stood wide open.
A dread seized him. Perhaps the house was occupied by soldiers. For a
moment he thought of turning back again to the sea and the cliffs. But
he wanted food, and it was absolutely necessary for him to communicate
with some one. His plan was to lie hid in the Pigeon Cave, but he must
have food brought to him day by day, and he must let his father or
Hannah know where he was going.

Very cautiously he crept forward and peered through the window. There
was a candle in its tall iron stand on the floor, and the peat fire
burned brightly on the hearth. A row of brass candlesticks were on the
mantel-board. Hannah Macaulay sat on a chair near the door knitting. The
room, he saw, was neat and orderly as ever.

The lids of the pots and the metal dish-covers gleamed from the nails
on which they hung round the walls. The pewter plates, bronze jugs,
and upturned noggins stood in shining rows on the dresser shelves. Neal
waited. Not a sound reached him from the house. He took courage and
slipped through the open door.

"Is that you yoursel', Master Neal?" said Hannah, quietly, "I ha' your
supper ready for ye. I was sitting up for you. You're late the night."

She rose from her seat and, without a sign of surprise or excitement,
closed the door and bolted it.

"Hannah, how is it that you are expecting me? You can't have known that
I was coming. How did you know?"

Hannah took plates from the dresser and food from the cupboard while she
answered him.

"Master Maurice's groom, the lad they call James, rode in from Antrim
the day afore yesterday with a note for Miss Una ower by. She tellt
me that you'd be coming and that it was more nor like you'd travel by
night. I've had your supp