"  Thank  God  indeed!"  echoed  his  daughter,  half
audibly,  half  internally,  as  expressing  the  gratitude
which  she  strongly  felt.
The  figure  which  advanced  to  meet  them  made
many  signs,  which  the  haze  of  the  atmosphere,
now  disturbed  by  wind  and  by  a  drizzling  rain,
prevented  them  from  seeing  or  comprehending  dis-
tinctly. Some  time  before  they  met,  Sir  Arthur
could  recognize  the  old  blue-gowned  beggar,  Edie
Ochiltree.  It  is  said  that  even  the  brute  creation
lay  aside  their  animosities  and  antipathies  when
pressed  by  an  instant  and  common  danger.  The
beach  under  Halket-head  rapidly  diminishing  in
extent  by  the  encroachments  of  a  spring-tide  and
a  north-west  wind,  was  in  like  manner  a  neutral
field,   where  even  a  justice  of  peace  and  a  stroll-


THE  ANTIQUARY.  87

ing  mendicant  might  meet  upon  terms  of  mutual
forbearance.
"  Turn  back,  turn  back !"  exclaimed  the  vagrant.
"  WHiy  did  ye  not  turn  when  I  waved  to  you?"

"  We  thought, "  replied  Sir  Arthur,  in  great  agi-
tation, "  we  thought  we  could  get  round  Halket-
head. "

"  Halket-head !  The  tide  will  be  running  on
Halket-head,  by  this  time,  like  the  Fall  of  Fyers !
It  was  a'  I  could  do  to  get  round  it  twenty  minutes
since ;  it  was  coming  in  three  feet  abreast.  We
will  maybe  get  back  by  Bally-burgh  Ness  Point  yet.
The  Lord  help  us,  it 's  our  only  chance.  We  can  but
try. "

"My  God,  my  child!"  —"My  father,  my  dear
father!"  exclaimed  the  parent  and  daughter,  as,
fear  lending  them  strength  and  speed,  they  turned
to  retrace  their  steps,  and  endeavoured  to  double
the  point,  the  projection  of  which  formed  the
southern  extremity  of  the  bay.
