A Winters Tale 233 



'You shouldn't have been so slow,' he retorted, 

 with the box already under his arm. 



' Stop, you blackguardly thief ; stop, I say,' hoarsely 

 shouted his father, running up from where he had 

 been looking after some rabbits. But the son turned 

 in terror and fled. Not far, however, for a new-comer 

 appeared on the scene. Willie Allan, true to his ap- 

 pointment with Kitty, though he hardly expected to 

 see her, emerged from the wood. 



' Holloa,' he said, placing himself in front of the 

 runaway. ' What's up ? ' 



' Fell him dead ! ' yelled Adam. 



' Let him go,' said Kitty, but so softly that her 

 lover could not make out what she said. 



' You'd better turn back,' he said to Aleck ; but the 

 fugitive, brought to bay, was desperate. 



' Let me be,' he said, ' or by I'll stab you,' 



drawing a clasp-knife from his pocket. 



' You scoundrel ! ' cried the other in a white heat, 

 ' would you commit murder ? ' 



Willie was credited with possessing more ' science ' 

 than any other man in Blackford, and where will you 

 find good boxing if not in North Northumberland ? 

 He made a feint, and the vengeful blade glittered in a 

 momentary streak of moonlight, but to no purpose, 

 for a side-leap carried its object out of reach, and 

 Willie landed a left-hander likeahorse's kick just above 

 the right eye of his opponent, who fell all his length 

 on the snow and in a trice was divested of his knife, 



