om uneasy
slumber, prayed the owner of that name to spare him--to shoot him not.'

'And from this you deduce----'

'From this,' said Townley, 'I deduce that poor Murdoch had seen that ring
on the left hand of a villain who had threatened to shoot him, for some
potent reason or another, that Murdoch had seen that vault open, and that
he has been bound down by sacred oath not to reveal what he did see.'

'But oh, Mr. Townley, such oath could not, cannot be binding on the boy.
We must----'

'No, we must _not_, Miss M'Crimman. We must not put pressure on Murdoch at
present. We must not treat lightly his honest scruples. _You_ must leave
_me_ to work the matter out in my own way. Only, whenever I need your
assistance or friendship to aid me, I may ask for it, may I not?'

'Indeed you may, Mr. Townley.'

Her hand lay for one brief moment in his; then they got up silently and
resumed their walk.

Both were thinking now.

CHAPTER V.

A NEW HOME IN THE WEST.

To-night, before I entered my tower-room study and sat down to continue
our strange story, I was leaning over the battlements and gazing
admiringly at the beautiful sunset effects among the hills and on the
lake, when my aunt came gliding to my side. She always comes in this
spirit-like way.

'May I say one word,' she said, 'without interrupting the train of your
thoughts?'

'Yes, dear aunt,' I replied; 'speak as you please--say what you will.'

'I have been reading your manuscript, Murdoch, and I think it is high time
you should mention that the M'Raes of Strathtoul were in no degree
connected with or voluntarily mixed up in the villainy that banished your
poor father from Castle Coila.'

'It shall be as you wish,' I said, and then Aunt Cecilia disappeared as
silently as she had come.

Aunt is right. Nor can I forget that--despite the long-lasting and
unfortunate blood-feud--the Strathtouls were and are our kinsmen. It is
due to them to add that they ever acted honourably, truthfully; that there
was but one villain, and whatever of villainy was transacted was his. Need
I say his name was Duncan M'Rae? A M'Rae of Strathtoul? No; I am glad and
proud to say he was not. I even doubt if he had any right or title to the
name at all. It may have been but an _alias_. An _alias_ is often of the
greatest use to such a man as this Duncan; so is an _alibi_ at times!

I have already mentioned the school in the glen which my father the chief
had built. M'Rae