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She continued the conversation to include Tammy as he came around the kirk on his tapping crutches. "Hoo mony years is it, Tammy, sin' Bobby's been leevin' i' the auld kirkyaird? At Maister Traill's snawy picnic ye war five gangin' on sax." They exchanged glances in which lay one of the happy memories of sad childhoods. "Noo I'm nineteen going on twenty. It's near fourteen years syne, Ailie."
But Tammy was far more cute in many ways than he got credit for being; and though astonished when the cool air and a few gentle shakes woke him up, he was not frightened by the hideous visages; even the feigned voices did not deceive him. But he was wise enough to pretend ignorance of their identity, and stared a well-acted credulity. "What have you done with what you found in that chimney?"
When Richard was found faint and bleeding by Tammy Tout, the town-herd, as he drove out the cows in the morning, the hobleshow is not to be described; and my brother came to me, and insisted that I should give him a warrant to apprehend all concerned.
Were we chasing fancies, or was there really someone something real, among the shadows above us? My thoughts returned to that thing, Tammy and I had seen near the log-reel. I remembered how incapable the Second Mate had been of seeing anything then. I remembered how natural it had seemed that he should not be able to see. I caught the word "stowaway" again.
"Yes, Sir," answered Tammy. The Old Man turned to me again. "These things, or creatures that you say come out of the sea," he said. "You've never seen them, except after nightfall?" he asked. "No, Sir," I replied. "Never." He turned to the Second Mate. "So far as I can make out, Mr. Tulipson," he remarked, "the danger seems to be only at night."
She ran from one person to another, wringing her hands and sobbing, "Oh! we'll be ruined we'll a' be ruined!" In her distress she thought of Telford, in whom she had great confidence, and called out, "Oh! where's Tammy Telfer where's Tammy?" He was immediately sent for. It was evening, and he was soon found at the house of Miss Pasley.
The busy landlord lived mostly in shirt-sleeves and big white apron, ready to lend a hand in the rush hours, and he never was known to put on his black coat and tall hat on a week-day, except to attend a funeral. However, there was the day's work to be done. Tammy had a lesson still to get, and returned to the kirkyard, and Ailie ran up to the dining-rooms.
A crippled laddie who must "mak' 'is leevin' wi' 'is heid" can waste no moment of daylight, and in the ancient buildings around Greyfriars the maximum of daylight was to be had only by those able and willing to climb to the gables. Tammy, having to live on the lowest, darkest floor of all, used the kirkyard for a study, by special indulgence of the caretaker, whenever the weather permitted.
Now, as the three lay there, the lassie as flushed and damp as some water-nymph, Bobby panting and submitting to a petting, Tammy took the little dog's muzzle between his thin hands, parted the veil, and looked into the soft brown eyes. "Leak, Ailie, Bobby's wantin' somethin', an' is juist haudin' 'imsel'." It was true.
But before I could answer him, Tammy ceased suddenly to struggle, and flopped down upon the deck. "'e's fainted," said Plummer, with some sympathy. He looked at me, with a puzzled, suspicious air. "What's 'appened? What's 'e been doin'?" "Take him aft into the berth!" ordered the Second Mate, a bit abruptly. It struck me that he wished to prevent questions.
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