suspicion
in a man under so dark a cloud as the Macgregor.

He came in with a great show of civility, but like a man among
inferiors; took off his bonnet to Mrs. Maclaren, but clapped it on his
head again to speak to Duncan; and having thus set himself (as he would
have thought) in a proper light, came to my bedside and bowed.

"I am given to know, sir," says he, "that your name is Balfour."

"They call me David Balfour," said I, "at your service."

"I would give ye my name in return, sir," he replied, "but it's one
somewhat blown upon of late days; and it'll perhaps suffice if I tell ye
that I am own brother to James More Drummond or Macgregor, of whom ye
will scarce have failed to hear."

"No, sir," said I, a little alarmed; "nor yet of your father,
Macgregor-Campbell." And I sat up and bowed in bed; for I thought best
to compliment him, in case he was proud of having had an outlaw to his
father.

He bowed in return. "But what I am come to say, sir," he went on, "is
this. In the year 'Forty-five my brother raised a part of the 'Gregara,'
and marched six companies to strike a stroke for the good side; and the
surgeon that marched with our clan and cured my brother's leg when it
was broken in the brush at Prestonpans, was a gentleman of the same name
precisely as yourself. He was brother to Balfour of Baith; and if you
are in any reasonable degree of nearness one of that gentleman's kin, I
have come to put myself and my people at your command."

You are to remember that I knew no more of my descent than any cadger's
dog; my uncle, to be sure, had prated of some of our high connections,
but nothing to the present purpose; and there was nothing left me but
that bitter disgrace of owning that I could not tell.

Robin told me shortly he was sorry he had put himself about, turned his
back upon me without a sign of salutation, and as he went towards the
door I could hear him telling Duncan that I was "only some kinless loon
that didn't know his own father." Angry as I was at these words, and
ashamed of my own ignorance, I could scarce keep from smiling that a man
who was under the lash of the law (and was indeed hanged some three
years later) should be so nice as to the descent of his acquaintances.

Just in the door he met Alan coming in; and the two drew back and looked
at each other like strange dogs. They were neither of them big men, but
they seemed fairly to swell out with pride. Each wore a sword, and by a
mo