the door, with a good pair of horses. I
must start for Banff within half an hour," said the traveller.

"Save us and sain us! Your grace, also! A' the warld seem ganging to
Banff!" cried honest Donald Duncan.

"I am summoned there as a witness on the trial, landlord."

"Ay, to be sure. Sae your grace maun be. For it is weel kenned that your
grace was amung the first to discover the dead body of the murthered man,
Heaven rest him! And noo, your grace, I will show ye till your room,"
said the landlord, leading the way to a neat bedchamber on the same
floor.

"Be good enough to send my servant here with my luggage," said the duke.

The landlord bowed and went out to deliver the message.

And in another minute the valet entered the room with the valise,
dressing-case, and so forth.

The duke made a rapid morning toilet, and then returned to the parlor,
where the little breakfast table was already laid--coffee, rolls,
oat-meal cake, broiled haddock, broiled black cock, and Dundee marmalade,
formed the bill of fare.

The duke forced himself to partake of some solid food in addition to the
two cups of coffee he hastily swallowed.

And then, as the chaise was announced, he arose to depart.

"I desire to keep these rooms until further notice, landlord. I shall
return here this evening, and stop here during my attendance upon the
trial at Banff," said the duke, as he got into the chaise, followed by
the valet.

The driver cracked his whip and the horses started.

"Aweel," said the landlord to himself, as he watched the chaise winding
its way up the mountain-pass. "Aweel, I waur e'en just confounded to see
the dook here away without the doochess; and I just after reading in the
_Times_ how they were married o' the day before yesterday, and gane
for their wedding trip to Paris! Aweel, I suppose, it will be this
witness business as hae broughten him back. But where's the young
doochess? Ay, to be sure, he hae left her in her grand toon house in
London. He wad na be bringing her here at siccan a painfu' time and
occasion as the trial of her ain father's murtherer. Nae, indeed! that
is nae likely," concluded honest Donald Duncan, as he returned into his
house.

Banff was but ten miles north-east of Lone. But the mountain road was
difficult; and now that the morning mist lay heavy on the landscape, it
was necessary for our travelers to drive slowly and carefully to avoid
precipitating themselves over some rocky steep,