302 THE GOLD OF FAIRNILEE.

He touched Jean on the shoulder, making a
sign to her not to speak.

Jean rose quietly, and looked where Randal
pointed, and this was what she saw.

She looked over a corner of the old grassy
ditch, just where the marsh and the yellow
flowers came nearest to it.

Here there stood three tall grey stones, each
about as high asa man. Between them, with
her back to the single stone, and between the
two others facing Randal and Jean, the old
nurse was kneeling.

If she had looked up, she could hardly have
seen Randal and Jean, for they were within the
ditch, and only their eyes were on the level of
the rampart.

Besides, she did not look up; she was grop-
ing in the breast of her dress for something,
and her eyes were on the ground.

“What can the old woman be doing?”
whispered Randal. ‘‘ Why, she has got my
fairy bottle in her hand!”

Then he remembered how he had shown her
the bottle, and how she had gone out without
giving it back to him.

Jean and he watched, and kept very quiet.

They saw the old nurse, still kneeling, take
the stopper out of the black strange bottle, and
turn the open mouth gently on her hand. Then
she carefully put in the stopper, and rubbed her
eyes with the palm of her hand. Then she