s to
further their Jacobite plots that they put this vixen out of the way,
because she had some secrets in her power, and they laid it all on her
temper, which, they told me, caused my lord to go in fear of his
reputation and his life."

"There was truth in that, to my knowledge," observed the President; "and
there were considerations connected with the daughters--natural
considerations, though leading to unnatural cruelty."

"Politics were at the bottom, for all that," said the chief, "And now,
as she has been my prisoner for so long, I suppose they will throw the
whole responsibility upon me. The rebel leaders hate me for my loyalty
as they hate the devil. They hate me--"

"As they hate Lord Loudon and myself," interposed the President, "which
they do, I take it, much more bitterly than they ever did the devil.
But, Sir Alexander, let me point out to you that your course in regard
to this lady is now clear. If the rebellion succeeds, let the leaders
find that you have taken out of their hands this weapon, which they
might otherwise use for your destruction. Let them find you acting with
me in restoring the lady to her rights. If, as I anticipate, the
rebellion is yet to fail, this is still your only safe course. It will
afford you the best chance of impunity--which impunity, however, it is
not for me to promise--for the illegality and the guilt of your past
conduct to the victim. There is something in our friend's countenance
here," he continued, turning to the widow with a smile, "which I should
like to understand. I fear I have not her good opinion, as I could
wish."

Annie told exactly what she was thinking: that all this reasoning was
wrong, because wasteful of the right. Surely it was the shortest and
clearest thing to say that, late as it was, it was better for Sir
Alexander to begin doing right than persist in the wrong.

"I quite agree with you," said the President, "and if people generally
were like you, we should be saved most of the argumentation of our law
courts--if, indeed, we should need the courts at all, or, perhaps, even
any human law. Come, Sir Alexander, let me beg your company to call on
Lady Carse. One needs the countenance of the chief, who is always and
everywhere welcome in his own territory, to excuse so early a visit."

Sir Alexander positively declined going. He was, in truth, afraid of
the lady's tongue in the presence of a legal functionary, before whom he
could neither