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Tom and Thora Kinlay lived at Crua Breck farm, distant from Stromness four miles; and little Hilda Paterson, the youngest girl in the school, lived at her father's croft away beyond Stenness, and walked the five miles barefooted twice a day. When I got home the brose for dinner was cooling on the windowsill, and my mother was frying the fish I had caught in the morning.
Duke," said Andrew. "She is the daughter of this Mr. Quendale, the owner of the wrecked ship." "Indeed! You believe that, Andrew?" "I firmly believe it." "Had we not better send for Mrs. Kinlay, to hear what she has to say on the matter?" said Mr. Duke. "Mrs. Kinlay is dangerously ill. However, I was at Crua Breck yesterday and saw her.
I had never been inside the Crua Breck house, nor, I may say, did I much covet a visit there, for the inmates of the farm were not distinguished for their friendliness or hospitality, and, with the one exception of Thora, whom I always regarded with a sense of kindliness, and Tom, who was my class fellow, I had little acquaintance with the family.
But after much searching of the water the chance of saving any more lives was so small, and the danger to the Curlew so great, that the boat was brought to the beach at Inganess Geo, where its suffering passengers were landed and carried up to the neighbouring farm of Crua Breck. The Curlew was then taken back to the wrecked barque.
He seemed to have had a store of money in the big chest which he claimed from among the wreckage, and circumstances enabled him to purchase the little farm of Crua Breck, together with a fishing boat.
Sadly did we contemplate the poor remnant of the flock, and guilty did I feel for having left the sheep unattended. I do not know how it fared with Thora when she reached Crua Breck, but I was not long in doubt as to the result of her immersion in the underground stream. The next morning I heard by accident that she was ill in bed.
"It's real kind of you to do this for me, Thora," I said, touched by the girl's tenderness, "and I will not forget this. No, not as long as I live;" and I think there was a tremor in my voice at least I felt what I said. "But," I continued, "what will they say to you at Crua Breck, if they hear you have done this thing?" "Halcro, I have done nothing but what I have been told to do.
At dawn I resumed the search with my sister Jessie. We first went to Crua Breck to make sure that Thora had not yet returned. We heard that Mrs. Kinlay was very ill now, and that Ann could not leave her.
"They're like a pack o' cards shuffle them as ye will before the game begins, the honours must still come together at the finish. "Well, Thora, lassie," he continued, turning round to Thora Kinlay, "and how are ye all up at Crua Breck?" "Oh, we're all fine, thank you, sir," said the girl; "only Crumpie fell over the Neban bank yestreen and broke her leg."
And then the rain fell incessantly, and the wind was full in my face. Carver Kinlay's farm of Crua Breck was on my way to my uncle's, and I thought I would stay there a few moments as I passed, to leave the otter skin for Thora, and maybe get shelter and a drink of warm milk. But not till I was almost at the door did I remember about my recent fight with Tom.
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