ad in them an inflection of dismissal, "and we will have great
pleasure in accepting seats at your table."

Then with a bow to the man who still remained in his chair, the king
and his comrade withdrew. They consulted together for a time in the
room of the former, but reached no definite decision. MacDonald urged
that they should come to an understanding with their host at once, and
learn whether they were prisoners or free men, but the king held that
Allaster should have the time for thinking over the situation which
had been practically agreed on.

"There is no hurry," he said. "Each of us is younger than Allaster and
so there is time to bide."

On being summoned to the great dining-hall that night, they found a
company awaiting dinner numbering perhaps a score, all men. A piper
was marching up and down the room making the timbers ring with his
martial music. The MacLeod stood at the head of his table, a stalwart
man whose massive head seemed sunk rather deep between his broad
shoulders, but otherwise, perhaps because his costume was cunningly
arranged, there was slight indication of the deformity with which he
was afflicted. He greeted his guests with no great show of affability,
and indicated the bench at his right hand as the seat of MacDonald.
The young Highlander hesitated to take the place of preference, and
glanced uneasily at his comrade.

"I am slightly deaf in my right ear," said the king good naturedly,
"and as I should be grieved to miss any observations you may make, I
will, with your permission, occupy the place you would bestow upon my
friend."

MacLeod looked sternly at the speaker for a moment, but seeing that
MacDonald, without protest moved speedily round to the left, he said
at last,--

"Settle it as pleases you, but I should have thought a Highland
chieftain took precedence of a Lowland huckster."

"Not a huckster exactly," explained the king with a smile. "My
patrimony of Ballengeich may be small, but such as it is, I am the
undisputed laird of it, while at best MacDonald is but the son of a
laird, so because of my deaf ear, and according to your own rules of
precedence, I think I may claim the place of honour at your right."
And as the MacLeod, with an angry growl sat down, the king and
MacDonald followed his example. The others took their places in some
haste, and with more or less of disorder. It was plain that MacLeod
preferred the silent Highlander to the more loquacious farmer of