"Good-day. A great tall sheepish noodle who don't know when he's well off," grumbled the fisher, throwing out once more as a tall gentlemanly-looking young fellow of about eight-and-twenty stepped actively from rock to rock till he had joined the group, raising his soft tweed hat to the ladies and shaking hands. "What a lovely morning!" he said eagerly. "I saw you come down. Much sport, Mr Vine?" he added, as he held out his hand. "No," said Uncle Luke, nodding and holding tightly on to his rod. "Hands full. Can't you see?" "Oh, yes, I see. One at you now." "Thankye. Think I couldn't see?" said the old man, striking and missing his fish. "Very kind of you to come and see how I was getting on." "But I didn't," said the new-comer, smiling. "I knew you didn't want me." "Here, Louie, make a note of that," said Uncle Luke, sharply. "The Scotch are not so dense as they pretend they are." "Uncle!" "Oh, pray, don't interpose, Miss Vine. Your uncle and I often have a passage of arms together." "Well, say what you've got to say, and then go back to your men. Has the vein failed?" "No, sir; it grows richer every day." "Sorry for it. I suppose you'll be burrowing under my cottage and burying me one of these days before my time?" "Don't be alarmed, sir." "I'm not," growled Uncle Luke. "Uncle is cross, because he is catching more fish than he wants this morning," said Louise quietly. "Hear that, Maddy, my dear?" said the old man, sharply. "Here's a problem for you:--If my niece's tongue is as keen-edged as that before she is twenty, what will it be at forty?" The girl addressed laughed and shook her head. "Any one would think it would be a warning to any sensible man to keep his distance." "Uncle! Pray!" whispered the niece, looking troubled; but the old man only chuckled and hooked another fish. "Going to make a fortune out of the old mine, Leslie?" he said. "Fortune? No, sir. A fair income, I hope." "Which with prudence and economy--Scottish prudence and economy," he added, meaningly, "would keep you when you got to be an old man like me. Bah!" He snatched out his line and gave an impatient stamp with his foot. "What is the matter, uncle?" "What's the matter? It was bad enough before. Look there?" CHAPTER TWO. ELEMENTS OF A WHOLE. Madelaine Van Heldre had seen the object of Uncle Luke's vexation before he called attention to it; and at the first glance her eyes had lit up with pleasure, but only to give place to an anxious, troubled look, and faint lines came across her brow. "Why, it is only Harry with his friend," said Louise quietly. "Yes: flopping and splashing about in the boat. There will not be a fish left when they've done." "I'll tell them to land at the lower stairs," said Louise eagerly. "No; let 'em come and do their worst," said the old man, with quite a snarl. "Why doesn't Harry row, instead of letting that miserable cockney fool about with an oar?"