kept
locked. Two little pencil sketches, signed with a childish hand, Daisy
Davidson, the minister always dusted himself, as also a covered picture
on the wall, and the half-yearly cleaning of the drawing-room was
concluded when he arranged on the backs of two chairs one piece of
needlework showing red and white roses, and another whereon was wrought
a posy of primroses. The room had a large bay window opening on the
lawn, and the Doctor had a trick of going out and in that way, so that
he often had ten minutes in its quietness; but no visitor was taken
there, except once a year, when the wife of the Doctor's old friend,
Lord Kilspindie, drove up to lunch, and the old man escorted her
ladyship round the garden and brought her in by the window. On that
occasion, but only then, the curtain was lifted from the picture, and
for a brief space they stood in silence. Then he let the silken veil
fall and gently arranged its folds, and offering her his arm with a
very courtly bow, led the Countess into the dining-room, where Rebecca
had done her best, and John waited in fullest Sabbath array.

[Illustration: The old man escorted her ladyship.]

The Doctor wandered about the room--looking out on the garden,
mysterious in the fading light, changing the position of a chair,
smoothing the old-fashioned needlework with caressing touch, breaking
up a log in the grate. He fell at last into a revery before the
fire--which picked out each bit of silver on his dress and shone back
from the black velvet--and heard nothing, till John flung open the door
and announced with immense majesty, "General Carnegie and Miss
Carnegie."

"Welcome, Kate, to the house of your father's friend, and welcome for
your own sake, and many returns of this day. May I say how that white
silk and those rubies become you? It is very kind to put on such
beautiful things for my poor little dinner. As for you, Jack, you are
glorious," and the Doctor must go over Carnegie's medals till that
worthy and very modest man lost all patience.

"No more of this nonsense; but, Sandie, that is a desperately becoming
get-up of yours; does n't he suit it well, Kit? I never saw a better
calf on any man."

"You are both 'rael bonnie,' and ought to be very grateful to me for
insisting on full dress. I 'm sorry that there is only one girl to
admire two such handsome men; it's a poor audience, but at any rate it
is very appreciative and grateful," and Kate courtsied to