The owls and other birds of prey were in evidence here, and once when a pigeon was scared, and flew flapping upwards from its flat nest of heather-stalks or its perch among the pines, some night-bird struck it speedily down. No, not an owl; for owls do feed on mice and rats. Then they came to a glade, and once more the moon shone merrily above them, and the black shadows of Antony and his companion pointed northwards and west. 'More than half-way home,' said Lotty. 'A strangely impressive scene,' said Antony. 'Are you very heavy, sir?' 'For my inches I scale a good deal, Lotty.' 'Well, you must walk round by the white stones yonder. All the centre is a moving bog, you know. It bears my weight and Wallace's easily, and we like to swing up and down on the turf. You'll see me swing in a minute. But you might go through, then you would sink down and down and down among the black slime, and not be seen again, never, never, _never_!' 'A very pretty prospect indeed, Lotty; but I think I'll go round by the stones. I have rather an interest in myself.' Lotty had her swing on the green, moving turf that covered the awful abyss, and appeared to enjoy it very much; but presently they met again on the other side. Antony paused for a moment to gaze into the star-depths. 'How beautiful!' he murmured. 'Are you very hungry, sir?' asked matter-of-fact Lotty. 'I could do with a bit of supper, I believe.' 'Because,' said Lotty, 'the light you see up yonder comes from Crona's cottage. Crona is a witch; but she loves me, and often, when I am hungry, she gives me milk to drink and sometimes an egg.' 'Well, by all means let us see this witch-friend of yours. Is she very terrible, Lotty?' 'She has such kindly eyes!' Lotty answered. Then she guided Antony up to the long, low hut on the cliff. The girl simply lifted the latch and entered without ceremony. A peat-fire was burning on a rude stone hearth, and near it sat Crona, warming her skinny hands. A tame fox by her side yapped and howled, and a huge cat put up her back. Crona closed the big Bible she had been reading, and laid it reverently on the window-sill, with her spectacles above it. 'Oh, come your ways in, my bonny Lotty. But wha have you wi' ye? In sooth, a bonny callant. And, oh me, Lotty, there is something tells your old mammy this night o' nights that this callant, this bonny English callant, will'---- She stopped suddenly. 'Forgive an old woman, sir,' she said to Antony, 'who is well-nigh in her dotage.' She hastily dusted a chair with her apron, and signed to Antony to sit down. The fire threw out a cheerful blaze, quite dimming the light of the wee oil lamp that hung against the whitewashed wall.