He started and looked at her.  But she had spoken quite thoughtlessly, and had now turned to her father.

When they went on deck again they found that the Umpire, beating up in the face of a light northerly breeze, had run out for a long tack almost to the Dutchman’s Cap; and from a certain distance they could see the grim shores of this desolate island, with its faint tinge of green grass over the brown of its plateau of rock.  And then Hamish called out, “Ready, about!” and presently they were slowly leaving behind that lonely Dutchman and making away for the distant entrance to Loch Tua.  The breeze was slight; they made but little way; far on the blue waters they watched the white gulls sitting buoyant; and the sun was hot on their hands.  What did they talk about in this summer idleness?  Many a time he had dreamed of his thus sailing over the clear seas with the fair Fionaghal from the South, until at times his heart, grown sick with yearning, was ready to despair of the impossible.  And yet here she was sitting on a deck-stool near him—­the wide-apart, long-lashed eyes occasionally regarding him—­a neglected book open on her lap—­the small gloved hands toying with the cover.  Yet there was no word of love spoken.  There was only a friendly conversation, and the idle passing of a summer day.  It was something to know that her breathing was near him.

Then the breeze died away altogether, and they were left altogether motionless on the glassy blue sea.  The great sails hung limp, without a single flap or quiver in them; the red ensign clung to the jigger-mast; Hamish, though he stood by the tiller, did not even put his hand on that bold and notable representation in wood of the sea-serpent.

“Come now, Hamish,” Macleod said, fearing this monotonous idleness would weary his fair guest, “you will tell us now one of the old stories that you used to tell me when I was a boy.”

Hamish had, indeed, told the young Macleod many a mysterious tale of magic and adventure, but he was not disposed to repeat any one of these in broken English in order to please this lady from the South.

“It is no more of the stories I hef now, Sir Keith,” said he.  “It was a long time since I had the stories.”

“Oh, I could construct one myself,” said Miss White, lightly.  “Don’t I know how they all begin? ’There was once a king in Erin, and he had a son and this son it was who would take the world for his pillow.  But before he set out on his travels, he took counsel of the falcon, and the hoodie, and the otter.  And the falcon said to him, go to the right; and the hoodie said to him, you will be wise now if you go to the left; but the otter said to him, now take my advice,’ etc., etc.”

“You have been a diligent student,” Macleod said, laughing heartily.  “And, indeed, you might go on with the story and finish it; for who knows now when we shall get back to Dare?”