dark. If the man was too
apprehensive to enter, he left him; if he followed, he led him to
Mistress Croale. If anything suggested the possibility of helping
farther, a possibility turning entirely on the person's self, the
attempt was set on foot; but in general, after a good breakfast,
Gibbie led him through a dark passage into the darkened house, and
dismissed him from the door by which he had entered. He never gave
money, and never sought such guest except in the winter. Indeed, he
was never in the city in the summer. Before the session was over,
they had one woman and one girl in a fair way of honest livelihood,
and one small child, whose mother had an infant besides, and was
evidently dying, he had sent "in a present" to Janet, by the hand of
Mistress Murkison. Altogether it was a tolerable beginning, and
during the time not a word reached him indicating knowledge of his
proceedings, although within a week or two a rumour was rife in the
lower parts of the city, of a mysterious being who went about doing
this and that for poor folk, but, notwithstanding his gifts, was far
from canny.

Mr. and Mrs. Sclater could not fail to be much annoyed when they
found he was no longer lodging with Mistress Murkison, but occupying
the Auld Hoose, with "that horrible woman" for a housekeeper; they
knew, however, that expostulation with one possessed by such a
headstrong sense of duty was utterly useless, and contented
themselves with predicting to each other some terrible check, the
result of his ridiculous theory concerning what was required of a
Christian--namely, that the disciple should be as his Master. At
the same time Mrs. Sclater had a sacred suspicion that no real ill
would ever befall God's innocent, Gilbert Galbraith.

Fergus had now with his father's help established himself in the
manse of the North Church, and thither he invited Mr. and Miss
Galbraith to dine with him on a certain evening. Her father's
absolute desire compelled Ginevra's assent; she could not, while
with him, rebel absolutely. Fergus did his best to make the evening
a pleasant one, and had special satisfaction in showing the laird
that he could provide both a good dinner and a good bottle of port.
Two of his congregation, a young lawyer and his wife, were the only
other guests. The laird found the lawyer an agreeable companion,
chiefly from his readiness to listen to his old law stories, and
Fergus laid himself out to please the two ladi