nce her arrival? It pleased her to think that she had been the first
to meet the redoubtable young man.

To them there entered the two boys, the younger dangling a fish. "It is
the big trout ye lost," he cried. "We guddled 'um. We wad has gotten
'um afore, but a wumman frichted 'um." Then turning unabashed to Alice,
he said in accusing tones, "That's the wumman!"

The elder boy gently but firmly performed on his brother the operation
known as "scragging." It was a subdued spirit which emerged from the
fraternal embrace.

"Pit the fush in the basket, Tam," said he, "and syne gang away wide up
the hill till I cry ye back." The tones implied that his younger brother
was no fit company for two gentlemen and a lady.

"I won't spoil your fishing," said Alice, fearing fratricidal strife.
"You are fishing up, so I had better go down the burn again." And with a
dignified nod to the others she turned to go.

Jock sprang forward with a bound and proceeded to stone the small Tarn
up the hill. He coursed that young gentleman like a dog, bidding him
"come near," or "gang wide," or "lie down there," to all of which the
culprit, taking the sport in proper spirit, gaily responded.

"I think you had better not go down the burn," said the man
reflectively. "You should keep the dry hillside. It is safer."

"Oh, I am not afraid," said the girl, laughing.

"But then I might want to fish down, and the trout are very shy there,"
said he, lying generously.

"Well, I won't then, but please tell me where Glenavelin is, for the
stream-side is my only direction."

"You are staying there?" he asked with a pleased face. "We shall meet
again, for I shall be over to-morrow. That fence on the hillside is
their march, and if you follow it you will come to the footbridge on the
Avelin. Many thanks for taking Jock's place and helping me."

He watched her for a second as she lightly jumped the burn and climbed
the peaty slope. Then he turned to his fishing, and when Alice looked
back from the vantage-ground of the hill shoulder she saw a figure
bending intently below a great pool. She was no coquette, but she could
not repress a tinge of irritation at so callous and self-absorbed a
young man. Another would have been profuse in thanks and would have
accompanied her to point out the road, or in some way or other would
have declared his appreciation of her presence. He might have told, her
his name, and then there would have been a pleasant informa