t and
conceited aboot his wife?"

"I see you don't know him," said the consul smilingly, "and I'd be
delighted to make you acquainted. Jock," he continued, raising his
voice as he turned towards MacSpadden, "let me introduce you to Sir
Alan Deeside, who don't know YOU, although he's a great admirer of your
wife;" and unheeding the embarrassed protestations of Sir Alan and the
laughing assertions of Jock that they were already acquainted, he moved
on beside his host. That hospitable knight, who had been airing his
knowledge of London smart society to his English guest with a singular
mixture of assertion and obsequiousness, here stopped short. "Ay, sit
down, laddie, it was so guid of ye to come, but I'm thinkin' at your end
of the table ye lost the bit fun of Mistress MacSpadden. Eh, but she was
unco' lively to-night. 'Twas all Kilcraithie could do to keep her from
proposin' your health with Hieland honors, and offerin' to lead off with
her ain foot on the table! Ay, and she'd ha' done it. And that's a
braw rose she's been givin' ye--and ye got out of it claverly wi' Lady
Deeside."

When he left the table with the others to join the ladies, the same
unaccountable feeling of mingled shyness and nervous irascibility still
kept possession of him. He felt that in his present mood he could not
listen to any further criticisms of his friend without betraying some
unwonted heat, and as his companions filed into the drawing-room he
slipped aside in the hope of recovering his equanimity by a few moments'
reflection in his own room. He glided quickly up the staircase and
entered the corridor. The passage that led to his apartment was quite
dark, especially before his door, which was in a bay that really ended
the passage. He was consequently surprised and somewhat alarmed at
seeing a shadowy female figure hovering before it. He instinctively
halted; the figure became more distinct from some luminous halo that
seemed to encompass it. It struck him that this was only the light of
his fire thrown through his open door, and that the figure was probably
that of a servant before it, who had been arranging his room. He started
forward again, but at the sound of his advancing footsteps the figure
and the luminous glow vanished, and he arrived blankly face to face with
his own closed door. He looked around the dim bay; it was absolutely
vacant. It was equally impossible for any one to have escaped
without passing him. There was only his