THE GOLD OF FAIRNILEE. 241

 

they rode the ford, was all red and gold and
brown.

Then time went on; that seemed a long
time to Randal. Only the women were left in
the house, and Randal played with the shep-
herd’s children. They sailed boats in the mill-
pond, and they went down to the boat-pool
and watched to see the big copper-coloured
salmon splashing in the still water. One
evening Randal looked up suddenly from his
play. It was growing dark. He had been
building a house with the round stones and
wet sand by the river. He looked up, and
there was his own father! He was riding all
alone, and his horse, Sir Hugh, was very lean
and lame, and scarred with the spurs. The
spear in his father’s hand was broken, and he
had no sword; and he looked neither to right
nor to left. His eyes were wide open, but he
seemed to see nothing.

Randal cried out to him, ‘‘Father! Father!”
but he never glanced at Randal. He did not
look as if he heard him, or knew he was there,
and suddenly he seemed to go away, Randal
did not know how or where.

Randal was frightened.

He ran into the house, and went to his
mother.

‘Oh, mother,” he said, ‘‘I have seen father!
He was riding all alone, and he would not look
at me. Sir Hugh was lame!”