think you'd know her again if you saw her?"

"I kenned her the moment I saw her in the streets of this toon, not
long before Christmas," was the reply.

"You saw her then?"

"Ay, I did. I saw her and recognised her, just as I recognised you.
But it took me longer to mak you oot. Although, as you say, you gave
me six months in Liverpool, did not, at that time, connect you with my
ain hame. But when I saw your picture as large as life in the house
where I lodged, I began to put things together. When I saw you in
Liverpool you had your big wig on, and your judge's goon, that's what
put me off there, I expect. But in your picture you looked more
natural, and I said: 'That's the lad who took away my brother Willie's
lass.'"

The judge's mind was working quickly by this time, and he saw that the
incident might have great possibilities.

"And you say you saw Jean in the streets of Brunford?"

"Ay, I did."

"And did you speak to her?"

"Nay, not at the time. The sight of her gave me a shock, as you may
say. But as I tell't you, the Scots are a canny race, so I asked a man
in the street who she was, and he told me she was Mrs. Stepaside, and
that led to other inquiries, till presently I found out all there was
to know."

"And what then?" asked the judge.

"Your lordship is a rich man," replied Archie. "And you'll not be
expecting me to tell all I know for nothing. And I'm in sair need of a
drop of whisky, too!"

The judge took a couple of sovereigns from his pocket.

"When you tell me all you know, you shall have these," he said.

The Scotsman's eyes glittered greedily. "Two sovereigns; weel, it's a
sma' sum, a sma' sum for the likes of you, and I think I can say
something that will interest you, too. In Scotland we think a great
deal of a five-poon note!"

"Very well," said the judge. "If you know anything worth telling me,
and you speak plainly, you shall have the five-pound note."

"Of course, your lordship is a fair-minded man as far as money is
concerned? I'll say nothing about anything else," and again the
Scotsman laughed like one enjoying himself.

"You'll have to trust me for that," said the judge. "In any case, if
you speak freely I'll give you the two sovereigns. If I judge your
information to be important you shall have the five-pound note."

"It's this way," said Archie Fearn, "--and I think your lordship will
see that what I have to tell ye is worth five poons, although I doot