hey were as frightened as Lull.

They treated Honeybird as though she had been rescued from some
terrible danger. Next morning Andy was told. He questioned Honeybird
closely, and said he would give a description of the man to Sergeant
M'Gee. Honeybird remembered that the man had red whiskers, and carried
a big stick. Later on she remembered that he had bandy legs and a
squint. The more frightened the others grew at the thought of the
dangers she had been exposed to the more terrible grew her description
of the man's appearance. Once or twice Jane had a suspicion that
Honeybird was adding to the truth, but when questioned Honeybird stuck
to the same tale, and never contradicted herself.

"God be thankit no harm come to the wee sowl," said Mick when Honeybird
had gone off to play, in charge of Fly and Patsy. "I'll be feared to
let her out a' my sight after this."

"I'll hould ye Sergeant M'Gee'll keep a luk out for thon boy," said
Jane. They were up in the loft getting hay for Rufus.

"Wasn't she the quare brave wee thing to tell the man to drap the
priest's hen?" said Mick. Jane lifted a bundle of hay.

"She's an awful good wee child, anyway," she answered. "What's that
scrapin' in the corner?" she added.

She stepped over the hay to look.

"What is it?" said Mick. Jane did not answer. He repeated his
question, and Jane turned a bewildered face.

"Come here an' see," she said. In the corner, where a place had been
cleared for the purpose, a bantam hen was tethered by a string to a
nail in the floor!

"God help us," said Mick, "but why an' iver did he hide it here?"

"He!" said Jane, "don't you see the manin' af it? She's stole it
herself, an' tould us all them lies on purpose."

Mick could hardly be brought to believe this.

"Did ye iver hear tell a' such badness?" said Jane.

"Mebby she niver knowed what she was doin'," said Mick.

"Didn't she just," said Jane; "she knowed enough to tell a quare good
lie."

"We'd better go an' ast her if she done it," said Mick.

They found Honeybird playing on the lawn with the two others, and led
her away to the top of the garden. Jane began the accusation.

"Do you know, Honeybird, we think you're a wee thief," she said.

"Dear forgive ye," said Honeybird.

"We seen the bantam," said Jane.

Honeybird looked up quickly. "Then just you lave it alone, an' mind
yer own business," she said.

"Do you know that you are a thief an' a liar, Honeybird