your family and the M'Raes were not friendly long ago.'

'But my father _would_ have made friends with the chief of Strathtoul,' I
said.

'Yes, and mine had old Highland prejudices. But look, yonder comes a
thunder-shower. You _must_ stay till it is over.'

'I feel, sir,' I said, 'that I am doing wrong, and that I have done wrong.
My father, even, does not know we are here. _He_ has prejudices now,
too,'

'Well,' said the officer, laughing, 'my father is in France. Let us both
be naughty boys. You must come and dine with me and my daughter, anyhow.
Bother old-fashioned blood-feuds! We must not forget that we are living in
the nineteenth century.'

I hesitated a moment, then I glanced at the girl, and next minute we were
all walking together towards the castle.

We did stop to dinner, nor did we think twice about leaving that night.
The more I saw of these, our hereditary enemies, the more I liked them.
Irene was very like Flora in appearance and manner, but she had a greater
knowledge of the world and all its ways. She was very beautiful. Yes, I
have said so already, but somehow I cannot help saying it again. She
looked older than she really was, and taller than most girls of fourteen.

'Well,' I said in course of the evening, 'it _is_ strange my being here.'

'It is only the fortune of war our both being here,' said M'Rae.

'I wonder,' I added, 'how it will all end!'

'If it would only end as I should wish, it would end very pleasantly
indeed. But it will not. You will write filially and tell your good father
of your visit. He will write cordially, but somewhat haughtily, to thank
us. That will be all. Oh, Highland blood is very red, and Highland pride
is very high. Well, at all events, Murdoch M'Crimman--if you will let me
call you by your name without the "Mr."--we shall never forget your visit,
shall we, darling?'

I looked towards Miss M'Rae. Her answer was a simple 'No'; but I was much
surprised to notice that her eyes were full of tears, which she tried in
vain to conceal.

I saw tears in her eyes next morning as we parted. Her father said
'Good-bye' so kindly that my whole heart went out to him on the spot.

'I'm not sorry I came,' I said; 'and, sir,' I added, 'as far as you and I
are concerned, the feud is at an end?'

'Yes, yes; and better so. And,' he continued, 'my daughter bids me say
that she is happy to have seen you, that she is going to think about you
very often, and is so sorrowful yo