The Jalna Saga – Deluxe Edition: All Sixteen Books of the Enduring Classic Series & The Biography of Mazo de la Roche by Mazo de la Roche

and eyebrows that stick out?”
    The woman pointed with the bun she held. “Aye, he’s yonder, whaur the hens are. Shall I fetch him to you, ma’am?”
    “No, no, thank you. I’ll go to him.”
    She found Patsy stretched at ease on his greatcoat which he had spread out on the poultry coops. To the accompaniment of crowings and cacklings he munched a slab of bread and cheese. “Heave ho, the winds do blow,” he was singing like a seasoned tar, between mouthfuls, for he wanted to make his bread and cheese last as long as possible. Maggie, the little goat, had somehow loosed her tether and stood at his feet nibbling one of his dangling bootlaces. The pair were a picture of devil-may-care contentment.
    “Oh, Patsy-Joe!” cried Adeline. “Do you know where my brothers are? I can’t find them anywhere on the ship.”
    He leaped to his feet and bolted a large mouthful of bread and cheese.
    “I do not thin, your honour, Miss,” he answered, jerking his head forward for the cheese was still in his throat. “But I’ll set out to look for them this instant moment.”
    “Patsy-Joe, I’ve had a letter from Master Sholto and he says they’ve gone back to the town and little Miss Cameron with them.Oh, I dare not let myself think it’s so, for it would kill her poor mother and my brothers would be to blame. Have they said aught to you about running away home?”
    “Aye, many was the time they said divil take the ship and they hoped they never set eyes on her again.”
    “But you should have told me what they were saying.”
    “Ah, wisha, I thought it was just their way o’ spakin’. And did ye say the young geerl was off with them?”
    “Yes.”
    His little eyes twinkled. “Sure, I’m not at all surprised for I saw her with thim on the shore last Sunday marnin’, and I said to mesilf she was too free with Mr. Conway and himself with time heavy on his hands. And did ye say they’ve left the ship entirely?”
    She was only wasting her time talking to Patsy. She hurried back up the stairway and at the top met Philip. Each saw the concern on the face of the other.
    “What have you heard?” she demanded.
    “A sailor tells me that he saw your brothers and Mary Cameron walking separately back to the town just before we left.”
    “My God, why didn’t he tell us?”
    “He thought we knew. When he saw the carriage drive up he thought it had come to meet them. How did you hear?”
    “I had this letter.” She took it from her pocket and put it in his hand.
    “Those boys ought to be flogged,” he said, when he had read the letter.
    “Oh, if only they hadn’t taken Mary! Oh, how can we break the news to her mother?”
    “You did wrong, Adeline, to encourage that friendship. It’s let to a pretty kettle of fish.”
    She took hold of the railing and two tears rolled down her cheeks.
    “I know — now that it’s too late,” she said, in a trembling voice. Then, after a moment, she broke out — “We must go back for them! I’ll pay the cost from my own pocket!”
    “We cannot. It’s impossible.”
    “What do a few hours more matter — in such a case?”
    “Listen to reason, Adeline. If those three scallywags were waiting on the dock eager to be picked up we might do it — at a pretty cost to you. But they don’t want to come back to the ship. Doubtless, by this time, they are well on their way in quite another direction.”
    “Oh, whatever shall I do?” she groaned.
    “You’ll just have to go and tell Mrs. Cameron what her daughter has done. After all — it’s her fault. If the girl had been properly brought up she’d not have dreamed of doing such a thing.”
    “Philip, darling, would you go and break the news to the mother?”
    He looked aghast at the idea.
    “I couldn’t possibly,” he said. “You’ll have to do that.”
    “Well, will you stand beside me, in case —” She hesitated.
    “In case what?” he asked distantly.
    “She will be terribly upset. She will probably