Poor mother bent on Lorna’s shoulder, without thought of attitude, and laid her cheek on Lorna’s breast, and sobbed till Lizzie was jealous, and came with two pocket-handkerchiefs.  As for me, my heart was lighter (if they would only dry their eyes, and come round by dinnertime) than it had been since the day on which Tom Faggus discovered the value of that blessed and cursed necklace.  None could say that I wanted Lorna for her money now.  And perhaps the Doones would let me have her; now that her property was gone.

But who shall tell of Annie’s grief?  The poor little thing would have staked her life upon finding the trinket, in all its beauty, lying under the pannikin.  She proudly challenged me to lift it—­which I had done, long ere that, of course—­if only I would take the risk of the spell for my incredulity.  I told her not to talk of spells, until she could spell a word backwards; and then to look into the pan where the charmed cream should be.  She would not acknowledge that the cream was the same as all the rest was:  and indeed it was not quite the same, for the points of poor Lorna’s diamonds had made a few star-rays across the rich firm crust of yellow.

But when we raised the pannikin, and there was nothing under it, poor Annie fell against the wall, which had been whitened lately; and her face put all the white to scorn.  My love, who was as fond of her, as if she had known her for fifty years, hereupon ran up and caught her, and abused all diamonds.  I will dwell no more upon Annie’s grief, because we felt it all so much.  But I could not help telling her, if she wanted a witch, to seek good Mother Melldrum, a legitimate performer.

That same night Master Jeremy Stickles (of whose absence the Counsellor must have known) came back, with all equipment ready for the grand attack.  Now the Doones knew, quite as well as we did, that this attack was threatening; and that but for the wonderful weather it would have been made long ago.  Therefore we, or at least our people (for I was doubtful about going), were sure to meet with a good resistance, and due preparation.

It was very strange to hear and see, and quite impossible to account for, that now some hundreds of country people (who feared to whisper so much as a word against the Doones a year ago, and would sooner have thought of attacking a church, in service time, than Glen Doone) now sharpened their old cutlasses, and laid pitch-forks on the grindstone, and bragged at every village cross, as if each would kill ten Doones himself, neither care to wipe his hands afterwards.  And this fierce bravery, and tall contempt, had been growing ever since the news of the attack upon our premises had taken good people by surprise; at least as concerned the issue.

Jeremy Stickles laughed heartily about Annie’s new manner of charming the cream; but he looked very grave at the loss of the jewels, so soon as he knew their value.

“My son,” he exclaimed, “this is very heavy.  It will go ill with all of you to make good this loss, as I fear that you will have to do.”