Dad was strong enough to get about in the saddle again, and we weren’t sorry to get shut of him for a bit. He was that cranky at times there was no living with him. As for ourselves, we were regular wild for some sort of get away for a bit of a change; so we hadn’t talked it over very long before we made up your minds to take a run over to Jonathan Barnes’s and have a bit of fun, just to take the taste out of our mouths of Aileen’s going away.

We had to dress ourselves very quiet and get fresh horses—nags that had nothing particular about them to make people look, at the same time with a bit of go in them in case we were pushed at any time.

No sooner said than done. We went to work and got everything ready, and by three o’clock we were off—all three of us, and never in better heart in our lives—for a bit of fun or devilment; it didn’t matter which came first.

When we got to Jonathan’s it was latish, but that didn’t matter to us or to the girls neither; they were always ready for a bit of fun, night or day. However, just at first they pretended to be rather high and mighty about this business of Hagan’s.

“Oh! it’s you, is it?” says Bella, after we walked in. “I don’t know as it’s safe for us to be knowing such dangerous characters. There’s a new law against harbouring, father says. He’s pretty frightened, I can tell you, and for two pins we’d be told to shut the door in your faces.”‘

“You can do that if you like now,” says I; “we shan’t want telling twice, I daresay. But what makes you so stiff to-night?”

“Why, Hagan’s business, of course,” says Maddie; “four men killed in cold blood. Only I know you couldn’t and wouldn’t be in it I’d not know any of ye from a crow. There now.”

“Quite right, most beauteous Madeline,” says Starlight; “it was a very dreadful affair, though I believe there was some reason for old Ben being angry. Of course, you know we weren’t within miles of the place when it was done. You remember the night we were here last?”

“Of course we do, Captain, quite well. Weren’t you going to dance at Bella’s wedding and all? You’ll have to do that sooner than we expected, though.”