a grieve in the place. Do you think this
by-named Drimdarroch will be going about cocking his bonnet over his
French amours and his treasons? Have you any notion that he will be the
more or the less likely to do so when he learns that there's a French
gentleman of your make in the country-side, and a friend of Doom's, too,
which means a Jacobite? A daft errand, if I may say it; seeking a needle
in a haystack was bairn's play compared to it."

"If you sit down on the haystack you speedily find the needle, M. le
Baron," said Montaiglon playfully. "In other words, trust my sensibility
to feel the prick of his presence whenever I get into his society. The
fact that he may suspect my object here will make him prick all the
quicker and all the harder."

"Even yet you don't comprehend Argyll's court. It's not Doom, mind you,
but a place hotching with folk--half a hundred perhaps of whom have
travelled as this Drimdarroch has travelled, and in Paris too, and
just of his visage perhaps. Unless you challenged them all seriatim, as
Petullo would say, I see no great prospect."

"I wish we could coax the fly here! That or something like it was what I
half expected to be able to do when Bethune gave me your address as that
of a landlord in the neighbourhood."

Doom reddened, perhaps with shame at the altered condition of his state
in the house of his fathers. "I've seen the day," said he--"I've seen
the day they were throng enough buzzing about Doom, but that was only
so long as honey was to rob with a fair face and a nice humming at the
robbery. Now that I'm a rooked bird and Doom a herried nest, they never
look the road I'm on."

Mungo, standing behind his master's chair, gave a little crackling laugh
and checked it suddenly at the angry flare in his master's face.

"You're mighty joco!" said the Baron; "perhaps you'll take my friend and
me into your confidence;" and he frowned with more than one meaning at
the little-abashed retainer.

"Paurdon! paurdon!" said Mungo, every part of the chart-like face
thrilled with some uncontrollable sense of drollery, and he exploded in
laughter more violent than ever.

"Mungo!" cried his master in the accent of authority.

The domestic drew himself swiftly to attention.

"Mungo!" said his master, "you're a damned fool! In the army ye would
have got the triangle for a good deal less. Right about face."

Mungo saluted and made the required retreat with a great deal less than
his usual