some Spanish embroideries, quaint
carvings; and finally he put the cap upon his extravagance by producing
from an inner pocket a girdle of Egyptian workmanship, too valuable by
far for her to accept from him.

"Surely, Dandy," I broke in at this, "ye must see that Nancy, no matter
what the old-time affection between us may be, can not take such gifts
from you?"

"Why not?" he answered, looking straight at me.

"It might be misinterpreted," I began, lamely.

"By whom?" he inquired.

"Not by us," I replied, "but by others."

"And what others are to know?" he demanded. "I am not going to make the
matter of a gift public business."

There was something in me which made it impossible to mention his wife
to him, but Nancy said, with gentleness and great wisdom, as it seemed
to me:

"They are beautiful, and I would love to have them from you, Danvers;
and some time, when Isabel and I become great friends, I'll ask them of
you, maybe; but I can not take them now."

The next morning brought him back, with some strange translations and
stranger foreign prints, where he knew my weakness; and I sat with the
two of them, laughing and criticising the pictures or the writings
until the luncheon time came, when it was impossible to turn a friend
out of one's house, and I urged him myself to stay with us, by which it
was near three when he set back to Arran Towers.

On the following morning he came again, with a flimsy excuse concerning
a mare he was thinking of purchasing; and so, by this and by that, he
managed to spend most of his time at Stair, and in Nancy's society,
seemingly unconscious of a wife he left at Arran for Sandy to console.

I grew so anxious that I lost sleep, my appetite went from me; I would
waken in the morning with a load on my breast as of guilt, and the
thought before me of having a situation to handle which by a mistake of
mine might be turned to a tragedy.

Walking from the burn with Father Michel one day we saw Danvers
Carmichael striding through the Holm gate toward Stair House, and the
glance that passed between us told me without words that the holy
father's thought was mine, which was that two people near Edinbro' Town
were playing very close to the fire.

"I've had some thought to speak to him of his conduct," Father Michel
said, "but it would have more effect coming from you, my lord."

As I entered the house, with a purpose half formed, I found Danvers in
the hall talking to Dickenson