Part 4 (1/2)

'Much nicer than indoors,' said Tricksy 'I e could live here altogether'

'Jolly tired you'd get of it,' growled Reggie; 'wait till it rains, and you find yourself shut up with half-a-dozen other people, and both the dogs, in one little smoky room You'd tell another tale then'

'What I will be wondering, Miss Marjorie,' said Neil; 'iss why you will all be taking sothat you have this place?'

'It is only for a little while,' replied Marjorie 'Of course ill bring father and ive them a surprise'

'And _my_ father andfrom Mummie, except just for a little while, for fun'

'Then how iss it that you will be finding soa secret just now?'

Marjorie looked out to sea with a puzzled expression

'I don't know,' she said at last, with a little laugh; 'except that it's such fun knowing that we've got a secret!'

'I've been thinking,' said Allan, as lying full length upon a ridge and looking towards Inchkerra, 'while we are having such a jolly tis of the man who stole those letters, now he knows that the police are after him!'

The others all looked towards the island, where they could see the low, grey cottages of the little village

'It seeot him yet,' observed Marjorie

'I ,' said Hamish, 'and he told me that they had no trace as yet, and that they believed it er who caot away immediately after the robbery'

'I hope so,' said Allan; 'it isn't nice to think of any of our people being dishonest'

'If it was a stranger,' said Reggie; 'they may never catch him'

'I heard father say that he would be traced by the money-orders,'

replied Allan 'It seeistered letter addressed to father, and that is one of the letters that isFather says that the thief is sure to try to make use of the orders sooner or later, and they have sent the nudoht!' said Tricksy in an awestruck tone

'That will be the best chance of getting him,' replied Allan

'The felloill find hi box then, won't he, Neil?'

'I suppose he will,' replied Neil, rather absently

'I hope it won't turn out to have been soie

'I hope not,' said Marjorie, looking over to the green fields and brown heather moors of Inchkerra 'Isn't it dreadful to think that it may have been some one e know; some one we have spoken to quite lately?'

'Well, Miss Marjorie,' said Neil, 'do you not think we had better be getting the table cleared and the things put away? We have plenty of work before us, if we are to plant all Reggie's ferns; and we must not stay too late, for it iss anxious about you that Mrs Stewart and Mrs