d not yet seen the lady. He neither ate, sat, nor held
intercourse with the family. Away from Davie, he spent his time in his
tower chamber, or out of doors. All the grounds were open to him
except a walled garden on the south-eastern slope, looking towards the
sea, which the earl kept for himself, though he rarely walked in it.
On the side of the hill away from the town, was a large park reaching
down to the river, and stretching a long way up its bank--with fine
trees, and glorious outlooks to the sea in one direction, and to the
mountains in the other. Here Donal would often wander, now with a
book, now with Davie. The boy's presence was rarely an interruption to
his thoughts when he wanted to think. Sometimes he would thrown himself
on the grass and read aloud; then Davie would throw himself beside him,
and let the words he could not understand flow over him in a spiritual
cataract. On the river was a boat, and though at first he was awkward
enough in the use of the oars, he was soon able to enjoy thoroughly a
row up or down the stream, especially in the twilight.

He was alone with his book under a beech-tree on a steep slope to the
river, the day after his affair with lord Forgue: reading aloud, he did
not hear the approach of his lordship.

"Mr. Grant," he said, "if you will say you are sorry you threw me from
my horse, I will say I am sorry I struck you."

"I am very sorry," said Donal, rising, "that it was necessary to throw
you from your horse; and perhaps your lordship may remember that you
struck me before I did so."

"That has nothing to do with it. I propose an accommodation, or
compromise, or what you choose to call it: if you will do the one, I
will do the other."

"What I think I ought to do, my lord, I do without bargaining. I am
not sorry I threw you from your horse, and to say so would be to lie."

"Of course everybody thinks himself in the right!" said his lordship
with a small sneer.

"It does not follow that no one is ever in the right!" returned Donal.
"Does your lordship think you were in the right--either towards me or
the poor animal who could not obey you because he was in torture?"

"I don't say I do."

"Then everybody does not think himself in the right! I take your
lordship's admission as an apology."

"By no means: when I make an apology, I will do it; I will not sneak
out of it."

He was evidently at strife with himself: he knew he was wrong, but
could not yet brin