'Get up, you lazy Lowrie,' she seemed to say, 'and welcome a bigger dog than ever you'll be.'
Nevertheless, pussy kept her gloves on all the time she whacked the fox. So it was only play and fun, born of her sudden joy at seeing her friends Lotty, Antony, and big, wise Wallace. And when Joe with a craik-k! and a croak-k! his wings drooping on the ground, rushed forward and jumped nimbly on top of the fox and pecked at pussy, anybody could see this was also fun and play got up on the spur of the moment.
'Hurray—ray!' cried the strange bird. 'Joe's alive! Hurray—hurray—ray!'
When Joe did at last manage to land a dig in pussy's brow he held back his head and laughed as if possessed of something not canny.
'Ha—ha—ha! Ho—ho—ho! Joe's alive. Ha—ha—ha!'
Pussy shook her head, and retired to wash her face.
Well, Crona and her friends spent a very happy day together, and the sun was down before they even dreamt of parting. The sun went down, and then came a long twilight, with a gradually rising wind; so, bidding Crona good-night, they set out with all speed to get clear of the woods before darkness fell, and to-night there would be no early moon, for it was the neap.
Chops had come as far as the high cliff to meet them, and as he was looking unusually serious Antony asked him if anything was the matter.
'W'ich I don't go for to say there is,' answered Chops, 'not on my own like; only Kelly the coastguard tells us that the bark hout yonder isn't likely to weather the Partans' Rock.'
Before Antony and Lotty had got quite clear of the woods the wind had suddenly increased to almost the force of a gale, blowing right on to the land, with, if anything, a bit of eastering in it. And out yonder in the fast-gathering gloom they could see a bark under very little sail standing westwards, but perilously near to the shore.