"What did she want ?" "You!" retorted my mother.

"Nice sort of people we have coming to our door in these times! Police, and murderers, and Irish--" "Did she say why she wanted me ?" I interrupted her.
"I gave her no chance," said my mother.

"Do you think I was going to hold talk with a creature like that at my steps ?" "I'd hold talk with the devil himself, mother, if I could get some news of Maisie!" I flung back at her as I made off.

"You're as bad as Andrew Dunlop!" There was the house door between her and me before she could reply to that, and the next instant I had my bicycle on the road and my leg over the saddle, and was hesitating before I put my foot to the pedal.

What did Nance Maguire want of me?
Had she any news of Maisie?
It was odd that she should come down--had I better not ride up the town and see her?
But I reflected that if she had any news--which was highly improbable--she would give it to the police; and so anxious was I to test what Scott had hinted at, that I swung on to my machine without further delay or reflection and went off towards Hathercleugh.
And as I crossed the old bridge, in the opening murmur of a coming storm, I had an illumination which came as suddenly as the first flash of lightning that followed just afterwards.