house as fast her legs would
carry her.

"She's feared," said Jane joyfully.

Patsy danced. "It'd be quare fun to take her to see Jane Dyer," he
said.

They laughed at the thought till they had to sit down on the path.

"I wisht I could come with ye," said Jane, "but ould Jane's friends
with me, so I can't."

"No; ye'll have to stay at home, Janey dear," said Mick; "she wouldn't
lift a finger if she saw ye with us."

"It's all because I tuk her them ould boots," said Jane; "but yous
three can go; an' mind ye run the minute she throws the first stone,
for if ye stan' an' face her she's like a lamb."

A few minutes later Mick and Fly and Patsy came into the drawing-room,
and asked Aunt Charlotte if she would like to go for a walk; they were
going down to the sea, they said. Aunt Charlotte said she would be
delighted to go. She put on her hat and gloves, and they started. On
each side of the road was a wall of loose stones bound together by moss
and brambles. In the distance, to their right, rose the mountains, and
a turn of the road about a mile from home brought them in sight of the
sea. They passed through the village, a long road of whitewashed
cottages, with here and there a fuchsia bush by a door, a line of
bright nasturtiums under a window, or a potato patch dotted with curly
kale by the side of a house. Farther down the street the church stood
back from the road in a graveyard full of tombstones and weeds. Aunt
Charlotte said she was interested in churches, so they stopped to look
at it. Coming back through the graveyard Mick showed her the
tombstones of the rebels, with skull and crossbones on the top, and the
grave of a great-uncle of theirs, who had been hanged at the time of
the rebellion for deserting his friends.

"Serve him right, the ould traitor," said Patsy.

Aunt Charlotte was shocked. "If he was your great-uncle you should
think of him with respect," she said.

"An' him an informer!" said Mick; "'deed, I'd 'a' kilt him myself, so I
would. Andy Graham sez he'd 'a' japped the brains out a' him."

"Lull sez she'd 'a' napped him on the head with a wee blackthorn," said
Fly. "But whist," she added, "I do believe the ould ruffian's lyin' in
his grave listenin' to us."

Aunt Charlotte shivered. As they were going down the steps Patsy
stopped. "Look at them two ould rats," he said, "sittin' there on the
wall like ould men. They're just sayin' which of us all will be
brought here