so far to the north among the flowes of the moors
that they never once came in sight of the road, along which all that day
frenzied messengers tore east and west with tidings that the King's son
had been murdered near the White Loch, by a gang of ruffians who had
laid a trap and overturned his carriage.

So the two young people travelled in a great loneliness of plovers and
curlews and peewits, all singing and calling and whistling their
hardest. They saw the glimmer of a herd's house or two, faint
whitewashed dots on the brown, surface of the moor. But of living souls
they met not one.

Nor had they seen anything of Stair when, at dusk, they breasted the
last bosky eyebrow of Raincy territory which overhung the rich Ferris
valleys, and saw beneath them, as it had been deserted, the House of
Cairn Ferris. Windows had been knocked out. Household gear lay scattered
in the yard and even littered the avenue. A great blackened oblong
showed the position of a burned hay-mow.

Louis halted a moment, in doubt what he should do, and then seeing that
there was no safety in such a place for Patsy, he turned the tired
horses about and rode straight for the great towers of Castle Raincy
which frowned above them out of the purple gloom of the woods.

* * * * *

"Grandfather," said Louis, still holding Patsy by the hand as he
penetrated unannounced into the Earl's study, "this is Miss Patricia
Ferris. The Duke of Lyonesse laid a trap for her. He carried her off,
bound and gagged, in Kennedy McClure's carriage, but Stair Garland and I
rescued her. There was a fight and I believe the Duke is hurt, but it
served him right. I took her home, but the house has been sacked. So I
brought her to you!"

The old man, who had nightly cursed the Ferrises, root and branch, all
his life, rose to his full height, for a moment irresolute. Then he
bowed, and took Patsy's hand in his.

"You are welcome," he said, "I am--hem--satisfied that my boy had the
pluck to put a bullet into the Hanoverian swine. He came and asked for
my carriage, curse his impudence--my carriage and horses to play his
Guelphish pranks on honest men's daughters. Royal prince or no royal
prince, I will stand by you, hang me if I don't! And when it comes to
the House of Lords, I shall have a few truths to tell the whole royal
gang which will make their ears tingle from the Regent himself to poor
Silly Billy."

In the meanwhile no news of Sta