“As sure as death,” she said, “there was some living thing standing there; I couldna see it for the rime, but I heard it breathing hard.”

Tommy felt Elspeth’s hand begin to tremble, and he said “McLean!” hastily, though he knew that McLean had not yet left the Quharity Arms.  Next moment Corp arrived with another story as unnerving.

“Has Grizel no come yet?” he asked, in a troubled voice.  “Tommy, hearken to this, a light has been burning in Double Dykes and the door swinging open a’ day!  I saw it mysel’, and so did Willum Dods.”

“Did you go close?”

“Na faags!  Willum was hol’ing and I was lifting, so we hadna time in the daylight, and wha would venture near the Painted Lady’s house on sic a night?”

Even Tommy felt uneasy, but when Gavinia cried, “There’s something uncanny in being out the night; tell us what was in Mr. McLean’s bottle, Tommy, and syne we’ll run hame,” he became Commander Sandys again, and replied, blankly, “What bottle?”

“The ane I warned you he was to fling into the water; dinna dare tell me you hinna got it.”

“I know not what thou art speaking about,” said Tommy; “but it’s a queer thing, it’s a queer thing, Gavinia”—­here he fixed her with his terrifying eye—­“I happen to have found a—­another bottle,” and still glaring at her he explained that he had found his bottle floating on the horizon.  It contained a letter to him, which he now read aloud.  It was signed “The Villain Stroke, his mark,” and announced that the writer, “tired of this relentless persecution,” had determined to reform rather than be killed.  “Meet me at the Cuttle Well, on Saturday, when the eight-o’clock bell is ringing,” he wrote, “and I shall there make you an offer for my freedom.”

The crew received this communication with shouts, Gavinia’s cry of “Five shillings, if no ten!” expressing the general sentiment, but it would not have been like Tommy to think with them.  “You poor things,” he said, “you just believe everything you’re telled!  How do I know that this is not a trick of Stroke’s to bring me here when he is some other gait working mischief?”

Corp was impressed, but Gavinia said, short-sightedly, “There’s no sign o’t.”

“There’s ower much sign o’t,” retorted Tommy.  “What’s this story about Double Dykes?  And how do we ken that there hasna been foul work there, and this man at the bottom o’t?  I tell you, before the world’s half an hour older, I’ll find out,” and he looked significantly at Corp, who answered, quaking, “I winna gang by mysel’, no, Tommy, I winna!”

So Tommy had to accompany him, saying, valiantly, “I’m no feared, and this rime is fine for hodding in,” to which Corp replied, as firmly, “Neither am I, and we can aye keep touching cauld iron.”  Before they were half way down the Double Dykes they got a thrill, for they realized, simultaneously, that they were being followed.  They stopped and gripped each other hard, but now they could hear nothing.