you."

"I beg that you will think of my own position, Mr. Stair--I might have
made my peace!"

"Ah, you mean about the Duke's money and the jewels--no, I do not forget
that part of it, Eben. I shall further confer with you as to what shall
be done with these. In the meantime--do not budge. Here, watch him,
Whitefoot!"

And very calmly Stair picked up the pistols and reprimed them. Then,
having stuck the sheath-dagger into his belt under his coat, he faced
his captive.

"In the meanwhile you are coming back with us to the Bothy. I don't know
what I shall do with you yet. But at any rate I cannot afford to run any
chances. You must stay with us till we get the first ship off. Perhaps
if you behave well, you shall have a passage on her. But in the
meantime--right-about-face ... _march!_"

The spy obeyed, though there were several things for which he would have
wished to stipulate. But Stair had a newly primed pistol pointed midway
between his ears as viewed from behind, and the spy felt keenly the
one-sidedness of any discussion in such a situation. He marched down the
hill, guided now to right and anon to left by a growled order from
Stair. Whitefoot was in front, looking over his shoulder and
occasionally showing his teeth. In this order the three arrived at the
hollow where they had left Adam and Julian. The pair were still in
earnest debate, so the little procession swerved away to the right to
leave them to themselves.

"Evidently," thought Stair, "Patsy's father has been harder to convince
than I had supposed. I'll wager it is the journey to London which sticks
in his gizzard."

In this somewhat inelegant form, Stair expressed what was the truth.

"I do not see," said Adam Ferris, obstinately, "what particle of good I
could do if I were to take up my residence in London for the rest of my
life. I let Patsy go there because you thought it necessary, but I shall
be still more glad to have her home again. She can marry a Prince if she
likes or she can marry the Prince's gentleman. She will neither marry
nor refrain from marrying because of anything you or I can say. I know
Patsy better than you do, Julian. She comes from your side of the house,
and the fact is she is far too like yourself ever to ask or take
advice."

"But think how necessary your presence will be," Julian insisted, "it is
not fair to leave a girl alone at what may prove to be the crisis of her
fate."

"Well, it was none of my doing, Juli