t up in a dark
room for the rest of her life, the old King of Borva would have
said, "Ferry well, Sheila," in the meekest way, and would have been
satisfied if only he could share her imprisonment with her.

"But first of all, Mr. Mackenzie, I have another proposal to make to
you," Ingram said; and then he urged upon Sheila's father to accept
Mrs. Lorraine's invitation.

Mr. Mackenzie was nothing loath: Sheila was living by far too
monotonous a life. He went over to the window to her and said,
"Sheila, my lass, you was going nowhere else this evening; and it
would be ferry convenient to go with Mr. Ingram, and he would see
his friends away, and we could go to a theatre then. And it is no new
thing for you to go to fine houses and see other people; but it is new
to me, and you wass saying what a beautiful house it wass many a
time, and I hef wished to see it. And the people they are ferry kind,
Sheila, to send me an invitation; and if they wass to come to the
Lewis, what would you think if you asked them to come to your house
and they paid no heed to it? Now, it is after four, Sheila, and if you
wass to get ready now--"

"Yes, I will go and get ready, papa," she said.

Ingram had a vague consciousness that he was taking Sheila up to
introduce to her Mrs. Lorraine in a new character. Would Sheila
look at the woman she used to fear and dislike in a wholly different
fashion, and be prepared to adorn her with all the graces which he had
so often described to her? Ingram hoped that Sheila would get to like
Mrs. Lorraine, and that by and by a better acquaintance between them
might lead to a warm and friendly intimacy. Somehow, he felt that if
Sheila would betray such a liking--if she would come to him and say
honestly that she was rejoiced he meant to marry--all his doubts would
be cleared away. Sheila had already said pretty nearly as much as
that, but then it followed what she understood to be an announcement
of his approaching marriage, and of course the girl's kindly nature at
once suggested a few pretty speeches. Sheila now knew that nothing
was settled: after looking at Mrs. Lorraine in the light of these
new possibilities, would she come to him and counsel him to go on and
challenge a decision?

Mr. Mackenzie received with a grave dignity and politeness the
more than friendly welcome given him both by Mrs. Kavanagh and her
daughter, and in view of their approaching tour he gave them to
understand that he had hims