the night of the murder and
encountered Danvers hatless in the snow, I can not say; but by the
evening there rose a strong demand for his arrest, and two officers
appeared at Arran and took the lad into custody.

Nancy, who had not left her room from that dreadful night, but who had
recovered herself enough to sit up a little at a time, received the
news in silence, asking if it were possible for me to get the exact
testimony given before the coroner for her to see; and going through
it, sitting in the bed, with flushed face and feverish eyes.

"It's not so bad," she said, as she put it aside; "not so bad. Will ye
ride out and ask Mr. Pitcairn to come to me?" she asked.

"Pitcairn? Ye'll not be wanting Pitcairn," I answered. "It's Magendie
we are having up from London for the defense."

"I--want--to--see--Mr.--Pitcairn," she said slowly.

"I don't understand at all," I answered. "When you refuse to see Sandy,
who, in his own great distress, has never forgot you for a moment, I
don't see why you should be sending for Pitcairn."

"I want to see neither Sandy nor any of the Arran people," she
answered.

"And you've no word of comfort for Danvers?" I asked.

"None," she returned. "I have not one word of comfort or anything else
to send to Danvers Carmichael, and I'd like to have it generally
known."

Although I saw him not, I knew that Pitcairn came to Stair that
afternoon; but, before God, by no message carried by me; and the
following morning I visited him in his offices, finding him at a desk
in the inner room looking frozenly out under his dome-like forehead in
a way to suggest that his natural greeting would be: "What are you
prepared to swear to?"

"Hugh," said I, "ye've doubtless heard of the trouble young Mr.
Carmichael is in----" here I waited.

He nodded, as one might who had but a certain number of words given him
at birth and was fearful that the supply might run out.

"It has occurred to me," I went on, "that your old friendship for me
and my old friendship for Sandy being common knowledge, ye might show a
fine courtesy by standing aside in the case and letting Mr. Inge take
it altogether. Such a thing can be done, I know, for when the
Lord-President himself had Ferrars to try, who was a known man to him,
he asked to be relieved from presiding."

"I attended to the duke's affairs when he was living. I shall attend to
them now that he is dead," he replied stolidly. "There is an ethical
side to