it off jauntily: he had always played with Fergus.

"I've been waitin' fer ye," said Fergus. "I want ye to come in the wood
wi' me. I have a bone to pick wi' ye."

Fergus seemed perfectly cool; whatever agitation he felt showed itself
only in the increasing Scotchiness of his speech.

Nort objected faintly, but was borne along by a will stronger than his
own. They stepped into the woods and walked silently side by side until
they came to an opening near the edge of a field. Here there were beech
trees with spaces around them, and the ground was softly clad in new
green bracken and carpeted with leaves. Nort felt a kind of cold horror
which he could not understand.

"Fergus," he said, again trying to speak lightly, "it was you I saw
looking in at David's window."

"It was," said Fergus. "I couldna let ye escape me."

They had now paused, and in spite of himself Nort was facing Fergus.

"We must ha' it oot between us, Nort," said Fergus.

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Yes, ye do."

Nort looked up at him suddenly.

"Anthy?"

"You've said it; ye ain't fit fer her, an' ye know it."

Nort turned deadly pale.

"Fergus," he said, "do you--have you----"

"I promised Anthy's father I'd look after her, an' I wull."

"But, Fergus, what have you got against me? I thought we were friends."

"What's friendship to do wi' it? Ye ain't good enough for Anthy: an' I
wull na' ha' ye breakin' her heart. Who are ye that ye should be lookin'
upon a girl like that?"

Fergus's voice was shaking with emotion.

"Well, I know I'm not good enough, Fergus, you're right about that. No
one is, I think. But I--I love her, Fergus."

"Ye love her: ye think ye do: next week ye'll think ye don't."

At this a flame of swift anger swept over Nort.

"If I love her and she loves me, who else has got anything to say about
it I'd like to know?"

"Wull, I have," said Fergus grimly.

Nort laughed, a nervous, fevered laugh, and threw out his arms in a
gesture of impatience.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Go away," said Fergus, "go away and let her alone. Go back whur ye come
from, an' break no hearts."

Although the words were gruff and short, there was a world of pleading
in them, too. Fergus had no desire to hurt Nort, but he wanted to get
him away forever from Hempfield. It was only Anthy that he had in mind.
He must save Anthy. Nort felt this note of appeal, and answered in kind:

"I can't do it, Fergus, and