"'I canna tell ye, mother,' said Willie, 'but he said every thing was against him; and it was borne in on my mind, that he knew wha had dune the deed, and that it was ane he likit weel and was willing to suffer for--ye ken his nature--but mind, that was only a fancy o' my ain, for he did not mint a word of it to me.' "'And where was he, Willie?' said I, 'where was my dear laddie?--was he out of peril?" "'It was in a town on the Holland coast,' said Willie, 'a bit sma place, less than Portoran. They had travelled there on fit, from the place where the boat was cast away; and Mr. Norman was waiting till there should be some ship sailing from Rotterdam to India. He said to me, mother, that he would never daur write hame again; but if he died he would cause that word should be sent baith to Merkland and you--but as lang as ye didna hear, ye were to mind and pray for him, as a living and sorrowful man, and no to think he was dead.' "'My laddie!' said I, 'my dear bairn!--oh, that the Lord would bring forth His righteousness as the noonday, and His judgment as the morning light. Ye said _they_, Willie--was there onybody wi' him?' "'Yes, mother,' said Willie; 'Mr. Norman was married the nicht before he fled, and there was a young lady with him. She didna belang about Strathoran--I never saw her before, but Mr. Norman said that in the wreck, she was braver than him, though she was a bit genty, delicate-looking thing. Mr. Norman took me in to see her, and tell't her I was his foster-brother and friend. He is aye like himsel, thinking on pleasuring me, in the midst o' a' his ain trouble--and she gaed me her hand wi' a sorrowful smile, that made me like to greet--and whiles when he was speaking to me, when his grief was like to get the better of him, she put her bit little hand on his arm, and said, "Norman, Norman," and then he aye calmed down again.' "So that was a' that Willie had to tell, and in little mair than a week after that, his ship sailed again, and when I was on my road hame, I went first of a' to the place where the deed was done. Its on the south side o' the Firth, far down--but I could find out naething there, except that everybody blamed Mr. Norman, and naebody would believe but what he was the murderer. "And since then, Miss Anne--it's seventeen years past in the last July--I have been a bereaved woman, for Willie never came hame but ance, when the war was ended, and that was just for a while, for he had pleased his captain unco weel, and was made gunner in the ship, and he had got used wi' their life, and liked it, so he just gaed back. He said to me, I mind, that he might aye be in the way of hearing tidings of Mr. Norman, and would come hame without delay if there was ony guid word. But word, guid or bad, there has been nane since that time, Miss Anne; a weary time it has been to me--but your brother is a living man, and the work is not too late." "What can be done?" said Anne; "what can be done?"