' tails, and Max ventured to suggest to the great
Highlander that it was very wet.

"Ou ay," he said; "a wee bit shoory, put she'll pe over soon."

"Pretty good spate up in the hills, Tavvy," cried Kenneth.

"Ou ay, Maister Ken; but it's gran' weather for ta fush."

"A' was thenking ye'd like to tak' ta chentleman up ta glen to see ta
fa's," said Long Shon.

"Ah, we might do that when the shower's over."

"There'll pe a teal of watter coming down fra Ben Doil."

"Yes, we'll go, Max; and, say, Tav, we never went after the stags Scoody
and I saw. Think we could get a shot at them to-day?"

"Weel, she might, Maister Ken, put she'd pe a wee pit wat for ta young
chentleman."

"Oh, he wouldn't mind. You'd like to go deerstalking, Max?"

"Yes, I should like to go, but--"

"Oh, we wouldn't go while it rains hard; and you'd only get your feet
wet."

"She couldna get over ta mountain to-day," said Long Shon decisively;
"and ta glen'll be so full of watter, she couldna stand."

"Oh, nonsense! We could go, Tav?"

"Ou ay, she could go, put there's a teal o' watter apoot."

Just at that moment a weird-looking figure appeared at the door, with
his long grey hair and beard streaked together with the rain, and, as he
caught Max's eye, he smiled at him, raised one hand, gave a
mysterious-looking nod, and beckoned to him to come.

"Here, Maxy, old Donald wants you."

"What for?" said Max, as he shrinkingly met the old man's eye, as he
still kept on beckoning, and completely ignored the presence of the
rest.

"He wants to give you a tune on the pipes."

Donald beckoned again in a quiet, mysterious manner, and the three dogs
looked at him uneasily, Sneeshing uttering a low growl, as if he had
unpleasant memories of bagpipe melodies and stones thrown at him because
he had been unable to bear the music, and had howled.

"What's the matter, Tonal'?" cried Kenneth, as the old man kept on
beckoning.

"She disna want onybody but ta Southron chiel'," said the old man
sternly; and he continued to wave Max toward him with his long,
claw-like hand.

For a few moments Max felt as if he must go--as if some force which he
had not the moral courage to resist was drawing him, and he was about to
rise, when the old man gave a fierce stamp with his foot.

"You'll be obliged to go, Maxy," said Kenneth. "Have a concert all to
yourself for three or four hours. It will be rather windy, but the rain
doesn't come in on one side