“Where are you going, Rob?”

“To gie myself up. I maun do something to let you see there’s one man in Thrums that has mair faith in you than in a fliskmahoy.”

“And only one, Rob. But I don’t know that they want to arrest you.”

“Ay, I had a hand in tying the polissman to the——”

“I want to hear nothing about that,” Gavin said, quickly.

“Will I hide, then?”

“I dare not advise you to do that. It would be wrong.”

Half a score of fugitives tore past the town-house, and were out of sight without a cry. There was a tread of heavier feet, and a dozen soldiers, with several policemen and two prisoners, appeared suddenly on the north side of the square.

“Rob,” cried the minister in desperation, “run!”

When the soldiers reached the town-house, where they locked up their prisoners, Dow was skulking eastward, and Gavin running down the brae.