Miss Holland and her escort were about fifty yards from Mrs Brown's house when the girl started and looked back.
"There's some one crying on you!" she exclaimed.
Eileen stopped and peered back into the night. It had clouded over and was very dark. Very vaguely something seemed to loom up in the path behind them.
"Miss Holland!" cried a voice.
"It's the minister!" said the girl.
"The—who?" exclaimed Eileen; and added hastily, "Oh yes, I know who you mean."
A tall figure disengaged itself from the surrounding night.
"Sorry to trouble you," said the voice in curiously quick and jerky accents, "but I've got a note I want this girl to deliver immediately."
He handed her an envelope.
"Hand that in at the first farm on the other side of the Manse," he commanded, pointing backwards into the darkness. "I'll escort Miss Holland."