ve to turn round and come back. In
August she's more likely to be in Scotland than in London."

"Oh, is she?" Barrie's face told all her doubt and disappointment. "But
I can't wait. I must go somewhere. If I don't take a train, Mrs. Muir
our housekeeper and perhaps Miss Hepburn may come here looking for me
from Hillard House. I'm afraid they found out at prayer-time that I'd
gone, and when they've searched all over the house and garden, they----"

"So you make no bones about running away from home, Miss MacDonald?"

"Neither would you in my place if you and your mother were insulted."

"Perhaps not," the man admitted. "I did something more or less of the
sort when I was a year or two older than you--about seventeen----"

"But I'm over seventeen already," Barrie hastened to boast. "I'm
eighteen."

The man smiled at her, his nicest smile. "Eighteen! That's very old, and
it's only living the retired life you have that's kept you young. Still,
there it is! You _have_ lived a retired life, and it's--er--it's left
its mark on you. It will take at least some months to efface it, even
under your mother's wing. That means you're a bit handicapped among a
lot of people who haven't lived retired lives. I don't advise you to go
back to your grandmother's house, because you wouldn't anyhow--and
besides, you know your own business better than I do; only, of course,
you'll have to write to her. As an acquaintance of your mother's, I'd
like to put you with some kind people for to-night until we can find out
for you just where Mrs. Ballantree MacDonald is. Don't you see that this
would be a sensible arrangement, if the people were all right, instead
of starting off on a wild-goose chase?"

"Ye-es, perhaps. And it's very kind of you to take an interest for my
mother's sake," said Barrie, trying not to show her disappointment
ungraciously.

"Of course, for your mother's sake," he repeated, with an expressionless
expression. "I call myself Somerled," he added, watching her face as he
made his announcement.

She caught him up quickly. "Why, that was the name of the great leader
from the North who founded the Clan MacDonald!"

"You know about him, do you--in spite of the retired life?"

"Not to know would disgrace a MacDonald. And just because I _have_ led a
retired life I've had more time to learn than girls in the world. I know
a good deal--really I do. I've read--heaps of things, behind Grandma's
back. Somerled of the Isles is