man need
be miserable because she lives with her husband? You hear me say that
I will forgive everything. Even she will not doubt me when I say so,
because I have never lied to her. Let her come back to me, and she
shall live in peace and quiet, and hear no word of reproach."

"I can have nothing to do with it, Mr. Kennedy."

"Then, sir, you shall abide my wrath." With that he sprang quickly
round, grasping at something which lay upon a shelf near him, and
Phineas saw that he was armed with a pistol. Phineas, who had
hitherto been seated, leaped to his legs; but the pistol in a moment
was at his head, and the madman pulled at the trigger. But the
mechanism of the instrument required that some bolt should be loosed
before the hammer would fall upon the nipple, and the unhandy wretch
for an instant fumbled over the work so that Phineas, still facing
his enemy, had time to leap backwards towards the door. But Kennedy,
though he was awkward, still succeeded in firing before our friend
could leave the room. Phineas heard the thud of the bullet, and knew
that it must have passed near his head. He was not struck, however;
and the man, frightened at his own deed, abstained from the second
shot, or loitered long enough in his remorse to enable his prey to
escape. With three or four steps Phineas leaped down the stairs, and,
finding the front door closed, took shelter within Mrs. Macpherson's
bar. "The man is mad," he said; "did you not hear the shot?" The
woman was too frightened to reply, but stood trembling, holding
Phineas by the arm. There was nobody in the house, she said, but she
and the two lasses. "Nae doobt the Laird's by ordinaire," she said
at last. She had known of the pistol; but had not dared to have
it removed. She and Macpherson had only feared that he would hurt
himself,--and had at last agreed, as day after day passed without any
injury from the weapon, to let the thing remain unnoticed. She had
heard the shot, and had been sure that one of the two men above would
have been killed.

Phineas was now in great doubt as to what duty was required of him.
His first difficulty consisted in this,--that his hat was still in
Mr. Kennedy's room, and that Mrs. Macpherson altogether refused to go
and fetch it. While they were still discussing this, and Phineas had
not as yet resolved whether he would first get a policeman or go at
once to Mr. Low, the bell from the room was rung furiously. "It's
the Laird," said Mrs. Ma