Rob was anxious that his brothers and cousin, and himself, should present a respectable appearance at the funeral; and in these humble preparations nearly all their small savings were swallowed up. The funeral expenses were paid by the Steamboat Company. Then after the funeral, the few people who were present departed to their own homes, no doubt imagining that the MacNicol boys would be able to live as hitherto they had lived--that is, anyhow. But there was a kindly man called Jamieson, who kept the grocery shop, and he called Rob in as the boys passed home. 'Rob,' said he, 'ye maun be doing something now. There's a cousin of mine has a whisky shop in the Saltmarket in Glasgow, and I could get ye a place there.' Rob's very gorge rose at the notion of his having to serve in a whisky shop in Glasgow. That would be to abandon all the proud ambitions of his life. Nevertheless, he had been thinking seriously about the duty he owed to these lads, his companions, who were now dependent on him. So he swallowed his pride and said, 'How much would he give me?' 'I think I could get him to give ye four shillings a week. That would keep ye very well.' 'Keep me?' said Rob. 'Ay, but what's to become o' Duncan and Neil and Nicol?' 'They must shift for themselves,' the grocer answered. 'That winna do,' said Rob, and he left the shop. He overtook his companions and asked them to go along to some rocks overlooking the harbour. They sat down there--the harbour below them with all its picturesque boats, and masses of drying nets, and what not. 'Neil,' said Rob to his cousin, 'we'll have to think about things now. There will be no more Eilean-na-Rona for us. We have just about as much left as will pay the lodgings this week, and Nicol must go three nights a week to the night school. What we get for stripping the nets 'll no do now.' 'It will not,' said Neil. 'Mr. Jamieson was offering me a place in Glasgow, but it is not very good, and I think we will do better if we keep together. Neil,' said he, 'if we had only a net, do ye not think we could trawl for cuddies?' [1] And again he said, 'Neil, do ye not think we could make a net for ourselves out of the old rags lying at the shed?' And again he said, 'Do ye think that Peter, the tailor, would lend us his old boat for a shilling a week?' It was clear that Rob had been carefully considering the details of this scheme of co-operation. And it was eagerly welcomed, not only by Neil, but also by the brothers Duncan and Nicol, who had been frightened by the thought of Rob going away to Glasgow. The youngest of all, Nicol, boldly declared that he could mend nets as well as any man in Erisaig.