"How funny," she exclaimed.

"What is it?" asked Mrs Cottier.

"I'm almost sure I smell something burning," said my aunt "I'm sure I
do. Don't you?"

There was a pause of a few seconds while the two ladies sniffed the
air.

"Yes," said Mrs Cottier, "there is something burning. It seems to come
from that gorse there."

"Funny," said my aunt. "I suppose some one has lighted a fire up in
the wood and the smoke is blowing down on us. Well, we'll go in to
dinner; it's no good staying here catching our death looking for two
mad things. I suppose you didn't hear how Mrs Burns is, yesterday?"

The two ladies passed away from the clump towards the orchard, talking
of the affairs of the neighbourhood. A few minutes after they had
gone, a cock pheasant called softly a few yards from us, then the
gorse-stems shook, and our friend appeared at the hut door,

"They're gone, all right," he said; "swords, and redcoats and
pipe-clay--they're gone. And a good riddance too! I should have been
back before, only your ladies were talking, looking for you, so I had
to wait till they were gone. I expect you'll want your dinner, sitting
here so long? Well, cut and get it."

He slung the boat-rugs into a corner, blew out the lantern, and