. But
the child had not much cunning, and wrote and posted the letter in the
belief that her father would simply do as she asked him, and suspect
nothing and ask no questions.

When old Mackenzie read that postscript he could only stare at the
paper before him.

"Will there be anything wrong, sir?" said the tall keeper, whose keen
gray eyes had been fixed on his master's face.

The sound of Duncan's voice startled and recalled Mr. Mackenzie, who
immediately turned, and said lightly, "Wrong? What wass you thinking
would be wrong? Oh, there is nothing wrong whatever. But Mairi, she
will be greatly surprised, and she is going to write no letters until
she comes back to tell you what she has seen: that is the message
there will be for Scarlett. Sheila--she is very well."

Duncan picked up the other letters and newspapers.

"You may tek them to the house, Duncan," said Mr. Mackenzie; and then
he added carelessly, "Did you hear when the steamer was thinking of
leaving Stornoway this night?"

"They were saying it would be seven o'clock or six, as there was a
great deal of cargo to go on her."

"Six o'clock? I'm thinking, Duncan, I would like to go with her as far
as Oban or Glasgow. Oh yes, I will go with her as far as Glasgow. Be
sharp, Duncan, and bring in the boat."

The keeper stared, fearing his master had gone mad: "You wass going
with her this ferry night?"

"Yes. Be sharp, Duncan!" said Mackenzie, doing his best to conceal his
impatience and determination under a careless air.

"Bit, sir, you canna do it," said Duncan peevishly. "You hef no things
looked out to go. And by the time we would get to Callernish it wass a
ferry hard drive there will be to get to Stornoway by six o'clock; and
there is the mare, sir, she will hef lost a shoe--"

Mr. Mackenzie's diplomacy gave way. He turned upon the keeper with
a sudden fierceness and with a stamp of his foot: "---- ---- you, Duncan
MacDonald! is it you or me that is the master? I will go to Stornoway
this ferry moment if I hef to buy twenty horses!" And there was a
light under the shaggy eyebrows that warned Duncan to have done with
his remonstrances.

"Oh. ferry well, sir--ferry well, sir," he said, going off to the
boat, and grumbling as he went. "If Miss Sheila was here, it would be
no going away to Glesca without any things wis you, as if you wass a
poor traffelin tailor that hass nothing in the world but a needle and
a thimble mirover. And what will the