irway attracted me. A gaping crowd was
gathered there about three central figures. My weasened pippin-face of the
malicious grin was one of them; a broad-shouldered, fair-faced and very
much embarrassed young officer in the King's uniform stood beside him; and
from the stairway some three steps up Aileen, plainly frightened, fronted
them and answered questions in her broken English.

"I am desolated to distress you, madam," the boy officer was saying, "but
this man has laid an information with me that there is a rebel in your
party, one who was in Manchester with the Pretender's force some months
since. It will be necessary that I have speech with him."

"There iss no rebel with me, sir. The gentleman with whom I travel iss of
most approved loyalty," she faltered.

"Ah! He will no doubt be able to make that clear to me. May I ask where he
is at present?"

Aileen went white as snow. Her distress was apparent to all.

"Sir, I do entreat you to believe that what I say iss true," she cried
whitely.

The little rat in fustian broke out screaming that he would swear to me
among ten thousand: as to the girl she must be the rebel's accomplice, his
mistress mayhap. Aileen, her big, anxious eyes fixed on the officer,
shrank back against the stair rail at her accuser's word. The lad
commanded him sharply to be quiet, but with the utmost respect let Aileen
understand that he must have talk with me.

All this one swift glance had told me, and at this opportune moment I
sauntered up, Volney's snuff-box in my hand. If the doubt possessed me as
to how the devil I was to win free from this accusation, I trust no shadow
of fear betrayed itself in my smirking face.

"Egad, here's a gathering of the clans. Hope I'm not _de trop_," I
simpered.

The lieutenant bowed to me with evident relief.

"On the contrary, sir, if you are the gentleman travelling with this lady
you are the desired complement to our party. There has been some doubt
expressed as to you. This man here claims to have recognized you as one of
the Pretender's army; says he was present when you bought provisions for a
troop of horsemen during the rebel invasion of this town."

"'Slife, perhaps I'm Charles Stuart himself," I shrugged.

"I swear to him. I swear to him," screamed fustian.

On my soul merely to look at the man gave me a nausea. His white
malevolence fair scunnered me.

I adjusted Volney's eye-glass with care and looked the fellow over with a
candi