ks in Bonnie Scotland. And the
first night of my arrival Kierley told me that I was in luck, for
within a day or two there was going to be a grand trial before the
Lords Justiciar--Anglice, judges. A trial of a man for murder!"

"Great Scott!" said Carver. "Murder, eh? And"--he nodded his head in the
direction of the adjacent cemetery. "Him?"

"Let me explain a few legal matters," said Triffitt, disregarding the
question. "Then you'll get the proper hang of things. In Scotland, law's
different in procedure to ours. The High Court of Justiciary is fixed
permanently at Edinburgh, but its judges go on circuit so many times a
year to some of the principal towns, where they hold something like our
own assizes. Usually, only one judge sits, but in cases of special
importance there are two, and two came to Jedburgh, this being a case of
very special importance, and one that was arousing a mighty amount of
interest. It was locally known as the Kelpies' Glen Case, and by that
name it got into all the papers--we could find it, of course, in our own
files."

"I'll turn it up," observed Carver.

"By all means," agreed Triffitt; "but I'll give you an outline of it
just now. Briefly, it was this. About eleven years ago, there was near
the town of Jedburgh a man named Ferguson, who kept an old-established
school for boys. He was an oldish chap, married to a woman a good deal
younger than himself, and she had a bit of a reputation for being
overfond of the wine of the country. According to what the Kierleys told
me, old Ferguson used to use the tawse on her sometimes, and they led a
sort of cat-and-dog life. Well, about the time I'm talking about,
Ferguson got a new undermaster; he only kept one. This chap was an
Englishman--name of Bentham--Francis Bentham, to give him his full
patronymic, but I don't know where he came from--I don't think anybody
did."

"F. B., eh?" muttered Carver. "Same initials as----"

"Precisely," said Triffitt, "and--to anticipate--same man. But to
proceed in due order. Old Ferguson died rather suddenly--but in quite an
above-board and natural fashion, about six months after this Bentham
came to him. The widow kept on the school, and retained Bentham's
services. And within half a year of the demise of her first husband, she
took Bentham for her second."

"Quick work!" remarked Carver.

"And productive of much wagging of tongues, you may bet!" said Triffitt.
"Many things were said--not all of them char