A great dread came upon me when I heard that Mrs. Kinlay had left for Scotland.  I thought that Thora Quendale had gone with her, and that I had lost sight of my dear girl friend for ever.  I feared even to ask if this was so; but passing along the road one evening, soon after we had dropped anchor in the bay, I chanced to meet Andrew Drever walking home with a string of trout hanging at his side.

Having exchanged a few friendly remarks with me, he asked if I would go and spend the evening with him.

“Come and take some supper with us, lad,” said he.  “Thora will be glad to see ye.”

“Thora!” I exclaimed.

“Ay, Thora.  Did you not know Thora lives with us now?”

“No; I thought she had gone to Caithness with Mrs. Kinlay.”

“Nay, nay,” said Andrew; “Thora can look after herself now, since we heard from Copenhagen.  But come along as soon’s you can, and we’ll tell you all about it.”

And with that he trudged away humming a lightsome tune.

Chapter XLII.  A Choice Among Three.

Not many minutes after I left the schoolmaster, when I was passing by the wharf, I met Jack Paterson.  Jack was standing looking down into the water, with his two hands deep in his trousers pockets, and his face bearing an expression of curious indecision.

“Hello, Jack, what’s troubling you now?” I asked, approaching him.

“Troubling me!  Well, I suppose it is troubling me, too.  The fact is, Ericson, I’ve been asked to take command of the new pilots.”

“Well, man, that’s surely nothing to look so gloomy about, is it?”

“No, lad; and I wouldna trouble sae muckle if I could see my way clear to takin’ the offer.  But, ye see, Halcro, I canna do the piloting without a boat.”

“I see, I see.  Ay, Jack, but that’s a pity, man.  And ye canna get the money towards buying the St. Magnus?”

“No; the St. Magnus is for sale, I weel ken that, and she’s a right good boat.  But where can a poor crofter body like me get the siller, think ye?”

“’Deed, I dinna ken, Jack; but maybe the siller will come somehow.  There’s many a one in Orkney would advance it for you, surely.  Dinna be cast down about it, man.  What about your crew?”

“Weel, I was thinkin’ of yersel for one, Halcro?”

“Of me!”

“Ay, and Jimmie Crageen, and Ronald Ray from Kirbister, and Steenie Barrie; all o’ them good honest men and weel acquainted wi’ the Orkneys.  What d’ye say, Halcro?  Will ye join us?”

“I canna say, Jack.  Ye see there’s the Falcon.  I couldna leave Davie Flett very well; though I’ll not deny I’d rather be a pilot than anything else.”

“Weel, ye’ll think of it any way; and if we can get the money, there’s no doubt but we’ll manage the business right enough.”

With that I left Jack on the wharf and continued my way, meditating upon this chance of fulfilling my ambition of being a Pomona pilot.