out by Kenneth, nearly knocking him off his
balance by giving his chair a vicious thrust, with the result that he
sat down far too quickly.

"Amen!" said the host sharply, and in a frowning, absent way.

"I haven't said grace, father," exclaimed Kenneth.

"Eh! haven't you? Ah, well, I thought you had. What's the soup,
Grant?"

"Hotch-potch, sir," replied the butler.

"Confound hotch-potch! Tell that woman not to send up any more till I
order it."

He threw himself back in the chair as the butler handed the declined
plate second-hand to the guest and then took another to Kenneth.

"'Taint bad when you're hungry," whispered the lad across the table.

Max glanced at his host with a shiver of dread, but The Mackhai was in
the act of pouring himself out a glass of sherry, which he tossed off,
and then in an abstracted way put on his glasses and began to read a
letter.

"It's all right. He didn't hear," whispered Kenneth, setting a good
example, and finishing his soup before Max had half done, for there was
a novelty in the dinner which kept taking his attention from his food.

"Sherry to Mr Blande," said the host sharply; and the butler came back
from the sideboard, where he was busy, giving Max an ill-used look,
which said plainly,--

"Why can't he help himself?"

Then aloud,--

"Sherry, sir?"

"No, thank you."

The decanter stopper went back into the bottle with a loud click, the
decanter was thumped down, and the butler walked back past Kenneth's
chair.

"Hallo, Granty! waxey?" said Kenneth; but the butler did not condescend
to answer.

"Much sport, father?"

"Eh? Yes, my boy. Two good stags."

"I say, father, I wish I had been there."

"Eh? Yes, I wish you had, Ken. But you had your guest to welcome. I
hope you had a pleasant run up from Glasgow."

"Pretty good," faltered Max, who became scarlet as he saw Kenneth's
laughing look.

"That's right," said the host. "You must show Mr Blande all you can,
Ken," he continued, softening a little over the salmon. "Sorry we have
no lobster sauce, Mr Blande. This is not a lobster shore. Make
Kenneth take you about well."

"I did show him the Grey Mare's Tail, father," said Kenneth, with a
merry look across the table.

"Ah yes! a very beautiful fall."

The dinner went on, but, though he was faint, Max did not make a hearty
meal, for, in addition to everything seeming so strange, and the manners
of his host certainly constrained, from