Patsy

ge. He left the men and women in the drama which was unrolling itself about Glenanmays to take care of themselves. He

ufficient, certainly, to act upon if it had been a case of capture. But all the same, near enough

ver a thought to Godfrey McCulloch or the Free Trade band, which, he knew, was busy running in small

g a trigger, and his life, in the hollow of Stair Garland's hand, would weigh no heavier than a puff of dandelion smoke

ing-place of this dangerous second son of the house of Glenanmays was on the hill cal

wilight, and lights which glittered a moment and then were shut off in the short, pearl-grey nights of later Ju

is way to watch Whitefoot. He had attempted, in the farm kitchen of Glenanmays, to make friends with the collie, but a swift upwar

advances, Whitefoot soon ceased to regard him at all. And ever more curio

the ivied wall of the orchard of Ladykirk and listening to the talk of Patsy and Miss Aline, who were sitting beneath in a creeper-

f living among wild adventure, "have you had any news to-day? I saw y

rate Earl Raincy promptly sent him and his insolence to-a place you have heard of in church. He said it so loud and plain that the whole house heard him,

olish as it looks. For little Lady Raincy, Louis's mother, might have secreted you somewhere and never told the earl

n, again, he might chance upon men who were looking for him and find himself very suddenly with a gunshot through him, or packed along with the cockroaches in the grimy hold of the Good Intent. Captain Penma

of Ladykirk, the avenue, the flowery borders of the parterres, the laurel co

eech hedge met the masonry at right angles, and just at the point of juncture the hedge thinned off a little. Whitefoot had observed this, and was in the habit of racing like an arrow towards it, and taking a leap across the ha-ha. The

ons-such obligations as could not be denied or escaped. Scottish law did not treat the abduction of heiresses against their will in a gentle spirit, and before the northern co

been compelled to call at Castle Raincy to ask for the loan of a carriage and ho

the man who would supply all that was necessary. He felt already that modest pride which comes to an intelligent, fore-thoughted man among a people of no

rong clan, and the running of many cargoes has made them well-to-do. The day of their desperate deeds is over. They prefe

perty which came into the market. If a man were in difficulties, Kennedy McClure waited for the time when he would be ready to accept an offer for such and such a meadow or stretch of corn-land which he had long coveted. He would not cheat. He would pay the proper price in ringing guineas, but he must h

im with a summons to give evidence as to a plague of voles which was desolating the fertile fields of the south-west,

ofound English agriculturist, with as profound a

said Kennedy McClure w

nce indeed. Well, I suppose that you have studied the devastation caus

s never a vole on the Ben o' Marrick. The vole is far ow

vince the chairman that he was talking to a man far richer than himsel

en over the carriage and capitally matched horses of the late laird of Glen Marrick. Perhaps he would lend them to a kinsman in

however, that a promise made to the laird his cousin, that his herds and workmen, his plough-hands and cattlemen, should be resp

ew away young men from his service and gave them false notions as

ere "staying on" as term-time approached, the bargain became more difficult to strike. In many cases it was finally understood between contracting parties that the wages should con

d his acres, extended the territories on which fed his flocks and herds, that service he must have, and that of the best.

bore a secret grudge to the Traffic, all the more b

forth to look at a new farm for the

coat, from which at every other minute he took the gold snuff-box that was his pride, white knee breeches, and rig-and-fur stockings of a tender grey-blue, finished by stout black shoes with silver

I have need of a word with you. I shall not in any way detain you, but it is a m

friendly eye, and, pulling his gold snuff-box from his p

ou plainly that there is not the half of a copper doit for you here. Besides, I hear that you are doing very com

he would have taken a kick from

emark, I have nothing to complain of in the service of His Majesty, and it shall be my first dut

looked his vis

robbing the sta

w." Nevertheless, he drew a pocket-book from his breast, and suggested that if his kind cousin cou

upsorrow, "there is no close ti

r of the master. For in this also the Laird had kept up the patriarchal style. He still willingly, and with a certain gusto, took his seat in his own kitchen, where he smoked and talked at ease with the men and maids as they came or went. A little cupboard with a double

of stacked papers, driving whips, favourite bits and bridles. The grate was still full of burned papers. A tall five-branched silver cand

to take a seat in one of these an

ith that wee wastrel of a man-of-law, McKinstrie, down at the Foulds. He is coming e

nto England, where his brother, the Duke of Cumberland, had an estate. The neighbouring great lords were all Jacobites at heart. Yes, even the Ea

" said Kennedy, scornfully. "I

oor of your stable unlocked, or at least so barred that we can easily get through without doi

said Laird Supsorrow, keeping his eyes fixed upon h

hours in the rear, the horses and carriage will be delivered to him at the boun

ndemnify me for any damage to the horses or vehicle, you are at liberty to do as you like with Ben Marrick's equipa

d from my Lord W

ghness's fist and seal or I shall not let a ho

a sure hand, and I leave the fifty pounds in your hands no

ts. Paper and seal were easily accessible in the parlour, where the Duke often kept Eben waiting for hours. He was an expert in other people's penmanship, and the princely scrawl would not present the least difficulty to him. Still, in case of acciden

s, of course. But sometimes it is worth while tossing a pen