e. Mostly I have been anxious for the
anxiety of my mother," and her eyes looked concern at me.

"Well," I said, "we shall relieve that anxiety very soon now; you have
probably had enough of Lonach Tower, which, I notice, is sadly in need
of the repairer. Let us go home!"

I said that last word out of my heart, and I thought Marget answered
with a gleam which comes into a woman's eyes only when her heart is
somewhere behind it. We went down the slender, creaky stair, the
soldiers following, and came to the door, where, if you please, we ran
slap into the Black Colonel, Red Murdo, and the other caterans. In the
unexpected lies drama, and here, indeed, was a dramatic confronting.
We stared at each other for a moment as if asking who was to speak
first, and, like himself, the Black Colonel managed to do it.

"I heard only an hour ago," he said, "of a lady in distress in this old
house. I have come, at my best speed, to help her, as who would not,
when that lady is Mistress Marget Forbes."

"Would it not have been better," I cut in, "if you had heard of her
distress before and come earlier to remedy it?"

"Possibly," he answered, "but if I had been earlier, Captain Gordon, I
might not have met you here. So you see," he added challengingly,
"there are compensations, although these are things, as far as my
experience goes, with which we could often dispense."

"Well," said I, "I have been able to render first aid to Mistress
Forbes, but it would be a satisfaction if you could explain to us how
she came to need it."

"Explain! How can I explain?"

"You have cultivated a name for gallantry, Colonel"--he bowed--"and it
would be gallant to a lady if you would say why Red Murdo invaded the
Dower House last night and carried its young mistress away?"

"Did he, the villain? He did not tell me of that, when I ran into him
and his following this morning. He said he came to where we met, in
response to an order from me. There was no such order, though it is
true that I was keeping an open eye for Red Murdo, a habit I have when
I know he is abroad, lest he might have anything for me."

By this time it was clear that the Black Colonel had commissioned Red
Murdo to kidnap Marget in order that he might rescue her, and, by the
act of so doing, advocate his plans towards her. He was denying it now
that he found in Lonach Tower not Marget alone and a captive, but
Marget with a good, stout bodyguard to look after her.