accident, had caused such desertion. He could almost have started in
his solicitude, to seek the missing man, such was the rebound of his
mind. Yet to all this he only gave vagrant thoughts, such as we give to
our fellows in church. The temple of the night had become a holy place,
and his heart was heavy--perhaps for his old friend, standing there with
uplifted face, perhaps on account of the words he was uttering, perhaps
in contrition. In a few minutes he would go forward, and take the old
preacher by the arm, and try, as he had once tried before, to lead him
to rest and shelter from so vain an intensity of prayer. But just now he
would wait to hear the words he said. He could not but wait, for so
dull, so silent, did all things remain, that the earnestness of the
expectant band made itself felt as an agony of hope waning to despair.

Absorbed in this, Alec heard what came to him as harsh profane speech;
and yet it was not this; it was the really modest address of a young man
who felt constrained to speak to him.

"I don't know," he said nervously (his accent was American), "who _you_
may be, but I just wish to state that I've a sort of notion one of those
fellows right down there means mischief to one of these poor ladies in
white, who is his wife. I ain't very powerful myself, but, I take it,
you're pretty strong, aren't you?"

Alec gave impatient assent; but the men whom he was asked to watch
approached no nearer to the women but remained behind the preacher.

All this time old Cameron prayed on, and while it might be that hope in
his followers was failing, in his voice there was increasing gladness
and fervour.