Huntingtower

ter the case of provisions was safely transferred to the porter with instructions to take charge of it till it was sent for. During the next ten minutes

tchers had criminal records, pages long, filed at Scotland Yard. The man to deal with that side of the business was Loudon the factor, and to him he was bound in the first place. He had made a clear picture in his head of this Loudon-a derelict old country writer, formal, pedantic, lazy, anxious only to get an unprofitable business of

vance. He also had some sandwiches prepared which he stowed in his pack, and filled his flask with whisky. "I'm going home to Glasgow by the first train to-morrow," he told the landlady, "an

opposite stood the ancient town house, with arches where the country folk came at the spring and autumn hiring fairs. Dickson rang the antiquated bell, and was presently admitted to a dark hall floored with oil-cloth, where a single gas-jet showed that on one side was the business office and on the other the living-rooms. Mr. Loudon was at s

no wife, for it was a bachelor's den in every line of it. A cloth was laid on a corner of the table, on which stood the remnants of a meal. Mr. Loudon seemed to have been abo

his grizzled hair was thinning round the temples; but his skin was unwrinkled and his eyes had all the vigour of youth. His tweed suit was well cut, and the buff waistcoat with flaps and pockets and the plain leather watchguard hinted at the sportsman, a

was just going to have a glass of toddy-a grand thing for these uncertain April nights. You'll join me? No?

he found himself faced with a jovial, virile figure which certainly did not suggest incompetence. It has been mentioned already that he had always great difficulty

ou about Huntingtow

g empty far too long, and that is worse for a new house than an old house. There's not much mon

erstand I've just retired from business, and I'm thinking of finding a country place. I used to have th

n't? The name of Dickson McCunn is k

ot a glisk of the House and I liked the look of it. You see, I want a quiet bit a good long way from

endent boiler for hot water, the whole bag of tricks. I won't say but what some of these contrivances will want looking to, for the

me. But of that, of course, I'm not yet certain, for I've only had a glimpse of the outside. I wanted to

r that," said Mr. Loud

e I'll stipulate that you g

y weekly tenants. But I'm vexed to hear they were uncivil. I was glad

e forei

orewood took an interest in. But the other-Sp

like the innkeeper either.

l the same, but I don't think he will want to stay. He only went there to pass the time till

orrid suspicions that he might be on a wild-goose chase after

f. What day would suit you? Let me see. T

Since I'm down in these parts

preparing to make confidences. "When poor Mr. Quentin died, the place went to his two sisters in joint ownership. A very bad arrangement, as you can imagine. It isn't entailed, and I've always been pressing them to sell, but so far they won't hear of it. They both married Englishmen, so it will take a day

, for, as his mind reasoned, the factor was prepared to do anything he asked-bu

ave a look at the place to-morr

ea. The Kennedys, as I have said, are-well, not exactly like other people, and I have the strictest orders not to let any one visit

not a soul is allow

a s

er night-your Belgian wouldn't let me into the policies, but I went down the glen-what's that they call it? the Garple De

ittal, who acts

s a woman. I saw h

m. He thought that he detected a shade of hesitation. Then Mr. Loudon got up from his chair and stood on

e poor Mr. Quentin, who was as sane as you or me, but as a rule in every generation there is one member of the family-or more-who is just a little bit--" and he tapped his forehead. "Nothing violent, you understand, but just not quite 'wise and world-like,' as the old folk say. Well, there's a certain old lady, an aunt of Mr. Quentin and his sisters, who has always been about tenpence in the shilling. Usually she lives at Bournemouth, but one of her crazes is a passion for Huntingtower, and the Kennedys hav

learned exactly what he wanted. The factor was tel

a very creditable piece of play-acting for

th a black cap and something like a whi

exactly," Mr. Loud

explain the

atives who would make the thin

business like that quiet. Any wandering policeman might

Deputy Fiscal and so forth-and a friend of the Chief Constable. I thin

you to send me a telegram whenever you're ready for me. I'm at the Salutation to-night, and go home to-morrow with the first train. Wait a minute"-and he pulled out his watch-"there's a tr

ing geniality. "Very pleased indeed to have me

es, caught sight of a man coming down the causeway. Promptly he retired into the shadow and watched the new-comer. There could be no mistake about the figure; the bulk, the walk, the carriage of the head

d Dickson's conviction. He delayed no longer, but hurried d

nly on Saskia's evidence-the worst danger to her began with the arrival of the Unknown. What could that be? Probably, kidnapping. He was prepared to believe anything of people like Bolsheviks. And, fourth, this danger was due within the next day or two. Loudon had been quite willing to let him into the house and to sack all the watchers within a week from that date. The natural and right thing was to summon the aid of the law, but, fifth, that would be a slow business with Loudon able to put spokes in the wheels and befog the authorities, and the mischief would be done before a single policeman showed his face in Dalqu

he felt the reassuring bulges in its pockets which were his pistol and cartridges. He reflected that it must be very difficult to miss with a pistol if you fired it at, say, thre

ers with Mrs. Morran, when his eye caught a gleam in a hollow of the moor a little to the east. He knew it for the camp-fire around which Dougal's warriors bivouacked. The notion came to him to go there in

come to the conclusion that he was on the wrong road, when he

goes

that y

int of a pole was held f

nn, a friend

another shadow appeared. "Report to the Chief that t

with Dougal and a cheap lantern w

ad his jaw bound up as if he had the to

fair miserable when I thought of Mr. Heritage and you laddies left to yo

ith a new respect. Formerly when he had referred to him at all it had been as "aul

n the embers. On one side a respectable lean-to had been constructed by nailing a plank to two fir-trees, running sloping poles thence to the ground, and thatching the whole with spruce bran

wars, for apart from the bandage on his jaw, he had numerous small cuts on his brow, and a great rent in one of

has come to a bonny cripus. This

nd the light of war

eren't wanted here, they said, so we'd better clear. I telled them that it was them that wasn't wanted. 'Awa' to Finnick,' says I. 'D'ye th

d?" Dickson a

led their claes, and they fell back swearin' and stampin' to get the fire out. Then I gave the word and we were on them wi' our poles, usin' the points accordin' to instructions. My orders was to keep a good distance, for if they had grippit one o' us he'd ha' been done for. They were roarin' mad by now, and twae had out their knives, but they couldn't do muckle, for it was gettin' dark, and they didn't ken the ground like us, and were aye trippin' and tumblin'. But they pressed us hard,

n. Had you man

t. I'm the worst, for one o' them had a grip o' me

n off for the

e back, never fear. That's why I sa

news from

nd no word o' L

d. "They were

rocks. He's a grand climber, yon. We fund a road up the rocks and got in by the verandy. Did ye ken that the lassie had a pistol?

But the jools were

hat she said to Mr. Heritage, for they were aye wanderin' into foreign langwidges, but it seems she's terrible feared o' somebod

or two. If we try to work it through the police alone, they'll beat us, for Loudon will manage to hang the business up till it's too late. So we must take up the job ourselves. We must stand a siege, Mr. Heritage and me and you laddies, and for that purpose we'd better all keep together. It won't be extra easy to carry her of

d Dougal. "But wha

. Morran, and I've left a big box of fancy things at Dalqu

hire Mrs. Sempill's powny, t

te you a line to the station-master. And will y

pen-by the rocks. It'll have

asgow who will put a spoke in Mr. Loudon's wheel. I want one of yo

out yourself? We want somebody outside to keep his eyes

to be awake. You can always get at me there, for it's easy to slip into her back kitchen without anybody in the village seeing you.... Yes, I'll do

e, the Chief of Staff, with a wrist wound up in the handkerchief which he had borrowed from his neck. There was a burly lad who wore trousers much too large for him, and who was known as Peer Pairson, a contraction presumably for Peter Paterson. After him came a lean tall boy who answered to the name of Napoleon. There

tough lot for ye, Mr. McCunn. Used a' their days wi' sleepin' in coalree

he six of you. If there were a dozen, I think this co