XXII.--A STRANGE MEETING 286

XXIII.--A FALSE RUMOR CAUSES TROUBLE 298

XXIV.--THE MURDER 307

XXV.--THE TRIAL 324

XXVI.--THE DEFENSE 351

XXVII.--THE MISTS ALL CLEARED AWAY 361

NANCY STAIR

CHAPTER I

AT STAIR HOUSE, NEAR EDINBURGH, IN 1768

By reason of a breakneck ride through the Pentlands, I entered the
dining-room at Stair very late one morning to find Huey MacGrath in a
state of deepest gloom waiting to serve my breakfast.

"Good morning, Huey," I said, opening The Glasgow Sentinel which had
come by the post.

"Good morning, my lord," he returned, in a grudging tone.

"It's a fine morning," said I.

"Ye think sae!" with a show of great surprise.

"Why, man!" I cried, "can not ye see for yourself?"

"We've the spring rains to come yet."

"They're by these ten days," I answered.

"Nae, nae," he said quietly. "That was jest the equinoctial, I'm
thinking."

"The equinoctial comes in March, man!" I observed with some surprise.

"Tammas was telling me yesterday that the roads to London were fair
impassable."

"Nonsense," said I. "The summer's here, Huey."

"There's a chill at the gloamin', yet. Nae, nae," he went on earnestly,
"simmer's far awa',--I've seen snaw's late's this!"

"Ye've had wonderful eyesight," I laughed, seeing the point toward
which this talk was aimed. "And did ye hear nothing of tidal waves,
Huey?" I asked; "with impassable roads to London, and snow in June,
you've surely heard of some disasters by sea."

"Ah!" he cried, "ye can tell of what I'm thinking, for I've seen the
signs of it in ye for a fortnight back. You're like your father before
you, and your grandfather, as weel, for the curse of wandering seems to
follow the name of Stair. With the first warm day ye have your windows
wide open; and next your beds are into a draught fit to blaw ye from
between the sheets; and then ye're up in the morning, aff on a hoorse
scouring the hills as tho' ye were gyte; and at the end your valise's
packed, the coach stopped, and ye aff amang the heathen, Gude alane
kens wheer!

"Ah, laddie!" he continued, his voice changed to an affectionate wail,
"dinna be gane awa'! Ye've niver seen Stair in the simmer time; but
when the