The young men were silent. They did not care to discuss the question
as to which mother was to blame in the matter.

They were now in the bottom of the valley, had left the road, and
were going up the side of the burn, often in single file, Alister
leading, and Ian bringing up the rear, for the valley was thickly
strewn with lumps of gray rock, of all shapes and sizes. They seemed
to have rolled down the hill on the other side of the burn, but
there was no sign of their origin: the hill was covered with grass
below, and with heather above. Such was the winding of the way among
the stones--for path there was none--that again and again no one of
them could see another. The girls felt the strangeness of it, and
began to experience, without knowing it, a little of the power of
solitary places.

After walking thus for some distance, they found their leader
halted.

"Here we have to cross the burn," he said, "and go a long way up the
other side."

"You want to be rid of us!" said Christina.

"By no means," replied Alister. "We are delighted to have you with
us. But we must not let you get tired before turning to go back."

"If you really do not mind, we should like to go a good deal
farther. I want to see round the turn there, where another hill
comes from behind and closes up the view. We haven't anybody to go
with us, and have seen nothing of the country. The men won't take us