which was occupied by a bottle and a glass. On the floor beneath the window had been placed the tray containing the dishes and the remains-a bone picked very bare-of the Laird's dinner.

“Ye see I hae had a busy day wi' my accounts," he explained apologetically, and pointing to a seat; "I hae been letting them get behindhand, and I was trying to make up for lost time. I'm obliged on these occasions to keep the door fast, or that woman, Mistress Begg, would be for ever upsetting my calculations wi' her extraordinar' tongue, which begins ringing at six o'clock in the mornin' and keeps on ringing till ten or eleven, or maybe twelve o'clock at night. She canna even gie it a rest while she's taking her meat, but maun keep clatterin' on as for a wager how muckle she could say in a day.'

He had been regaining his customary composure and meekness whilst giving this information, and a large pinch of snuff completed the restoration. He tendered the box to his visitor in the manner of peace-offering, and to indicate that his martyr-like nature had already forgiven the violence by which the audience had been obtained.

Robin thrust the box from him impatiently.

"I'm sorry to hae interrupted ye in your interesting occupation," he said drily, “but I had no time to put off, and I ken'd that your kindly heart would excuse me, when ye ken'd that you had it in your power to relieve my mind o' a weight o' trouble."

The Laird gave him a quick glance of suspicion, as if to ascertain whether or not he were mocking him.

"I'm sure I would forgie a heap mair nor you have done, Cairnieford, if I thought I could serve you in onyway," he answered meekly.

66

Then, tell me, when did you last see James Falcon ?"

Robin fancied,-but the movement was so slight that he could not be certain that it was anything more than fancy,that McWhapple started and shivered, whilst his eyes glanced toward the door of the inner chamber-his bedroom. It was so quickly over, however, and his reply was so much in his

usual tone and manner that the matter made no impression on Robin.

"Od, it's extraordinar'!" (another pinch of snuff and strong nasal accompaniment) "I think a' body's gane wud about Jeamie Falcon, and a' body thinks I keep him tied to my coat-tail, for it's ay here they come speirin' for him; and if he'd been Lord John o' the Highlands he couldna hae mair anxious inquiries about him."

"When did you see him last, I was speirin'?'

"Oom, let me see" (meditatively) "hoot, aye, I mind; it was on Monday; he sent ower in the forenoon to ask me to lend him a horse as he was going to Ayr to see when there would be a vessel sailing south, and as I had a bit business in the town concerning the purchase of a new brig, I just took the gig and drove ower wi' him."

"Ye haena seen him since ?"

"Na" (shaking his head).

"Then it was you who sent the gig to Cairnieford yesterday?" (quickly and inclining towards his interlocutor.) "Me? What for?"

"To take my guidwife to Askaig."

A pause, during which the Laird's eyes blinked with apparent astonishment; then making a dab with his head—

"In the name o' guidness what would I do taking your wife to Askaig, where she would be sure to meet the very man she would maist avoid?"

"Ye needna try to hide it frae me," said Robin desperately, assuming confidence which he could not altogether feel; "I ken a', and it was you that sent for her, you that sent the leeing message, and a' that ye micht hae your spite out against me."

"Whatna message?

"Ye ken weel; the message that me and Falcon had been quarrellin' and that I'd got mysel' hurt."

"Who told you that?

"Hersel', for wi' a' your wiles, and his too maybe, she came hame again.”

"And ye believe it was me that got her carried to Askaig— me that was the first to warn ye that Jeamie had come hame, that he'd seen your guidwife, and counselled ye to look after her?'

That was a stab sharp and deep.

"Aye, you whase leeing tongue was the first to pooshin' my mind against her, the first to make me doubt her and ready to believe that she was guilty—she wha is as pure as ye are foul. You did it a'—you hae driven me out o' my judgment and caused me to gar her rue the day that we were married. But I swear to ye that if ye dinna confess the whole truth afore I leave this room ye'll sup sorrow wi' a big spoon afore I'm done wi' ye."

His passion had got the better of him again, and instead of meeting cunning with cunning as he had at first attempted, he had unbared his purpose and his suffering in that outburst.

The Laird folded his hands on his knees with the silver snuff-box under them, sighed and looked the picture of injured friendship.

“I didna mean to say a word on the matter, Cairnieford,” he began submissively; "but since ye put me to it in selfdefence it is necessary that I should speak."

"Out with it, then."

"I'll begin by telling ye that I hae had word o' a' that happened at Askaig yestreen frae Rab Keith; and my opinion is, James Falcon, wha, I'm glad to say is making his way out o' the country by this time, is a young villain that I would hae basted wi' my staff had I came across him kenning what I As for your guidwife

ken noo.

Say an ill word o' her, and I'll thrapple ye, by heaven." And he sprang up grasping the little man's throat so tightly that it seemed probable he would choke him whether the words were spoken or not.

66

There, man, there," gasped the Laird, trying to unfasten the giant's grip; "od, I said I wouldna say onything about

her, and ye lay hands on me as though I'd been misca'ing her hill and down."

up

"Gang on," growled Robin, resuming his seat, and none the better pleased with himself that he had shown such poor control over his temper.

The Laird took a few minutes to recover his breath and his snuff-box, and to arrange his cravat, which had been displaced. Then

"I wouldna take this treatment at onybody's hands, in my ain house especially, if it werena that I ken in what distress o' mind ye are, and pity you."

Another sting which made the man wince: the sneering pity of this contemptible creature was harder to bear than the scorn of an honest man.

"Gang on, will ye? Curse ye.

ye."

"That's no civil, to say the least o't; and onybody but me would just show ye to the door. But I canna feel it in my heart to be stiff wi' ye in your present state. Weel then, Jeamie Falcon got the loan o' the gig yesterday, for what purpose I didna ken, or he'd never hae had it. My opinion noo is, that whether your guidwife was a party to the arrangement or no—and I'll no say a word ae way or other on that scorehe was meaning to take her awa' wi' him and sail for the south in the vessel that he ken'd was to start the day. No doubt the storm delayed them at Askaig, and ye came upon them and frightened ane or baith o' them sae that they didna carry it out."

"What man was't that drove the gig?

"It was my man Morris took the gig up by to Askaig and left it there. I'll send for him, and ye can question himsel'.”

He went to the door and called Lizzie several times. The girl at length answered him, and he bade her send Morris to him.

The man entered the room a few minutes afterwards. He was a tall gawky-looking fellow, whom Robin, to his knowledge, had never seen before. He had a dull sleepy face and heavy eyebrows. In answer to Robin's questions, he stated

that he had taken the gig as far as the ford at Askaig, and there he had been met by Falcon and another man whom he did not know. He had relinquished the gig to Falcon and walked home. That was all he knew.

"What was the man like who was with Falcon?" queried the Laird.

"A chiel' about my ain height, wi' a jacket that had a blue. striped breast."

"Would ye ken him again?"

'Brawly."

"That'll do, Morris; thank ye."

The man quitted the room with a degree more of alacrity in his gait than he had displayed on entering, as if he were glad

to get away.

Robin sat with his face covered, and the Laird took a selfcongratulatory pinch. He was the first to speak.

"Now, ye ken a' that I can tell ye, Cairnieford, and ye'll do me the justice to own that I hae gien ye a' the information in my power, and that I gied ye fair warning, on the very day that I first saw Falcon back again, that there would be fashious work afore ye."

"Aye, ye did that, I own (hoarsely); and I blamed ye for't. I wish I had heeded mair your warning-though it wouldna hae mattered muckle either; for I wouldna haud her by me if she wanted to leave me. When did the gig come hame ?" "Od, I forgot to ask that, but I rather fancy it hasna come hame yet. Will I cry him back?"

needna heed: I ken a' that I want to ken."

haena heard yet wha was the man brought the gig

to Cairnieford."

"I suppose that it maun hae been the chiel' that your man saw wi' him at the ford."

"No doubt; and I think I can help ye wi' a suspicion o' wha that chiel' was."

"Can ye?" (abstractedly, for he was thinking of another matter).

Aye; I suspect frae mention of the striped breast of his