"Oh, ay," said he, "Macdonald will find out now who is master—the law, or himself. He is the most ill-condeetioned man in the whole district—an ill-condeetioned, thrawn, contentious rascal, and the worst example possible for his neighbours; but he’ll find out now; he’ll find out that the law is not to be defied with impunity——" "What do you mean?" said she. "I told you to stop all proceedings." "I cannot stop the Procurator-Fiscal," said the Troich Bheag Dhearg, grimly, "when he institutes a prosecution for deforcement of the sheriff’s officer." "But I got the sheriff’s officer to go away peaceably," said she; "and I told him that the case would be inquired into." "Just that," replied Mr. Purdie, with a certain self-assurance. "But it was not the business of the sheriff’s officer to inquire into the case at all. He had merely to execute the sheriff’s warrant; and in doing that, as he now declares, he was deforced. Macdonald will find out whether he can set the law at defiance—even with that mischief-making ne’er-do-weel Donald Ross at his elbow egging him on." "Mr. Ross did not egg him on!" said Mary Stanley, indignantly; "for I was there, and saw the whole transaction. Mr. Ross interfered for the sake of peace, or there would have been murder done." "Ay? and I wonder what right has Mr. Ross to interfere wi’ the Lochgarra tenants!" said Mr. Purdie, rather scornfully—but with an angry light twinkling in his small blue eyes. "Because I asked him," said Mary, drawing herself up. "And I will ask him again, when it suits me." Mr. Purdie said nothing. His heavily down-drawn mouth was more than usually dogged in expression; and it was with difficulty Mary extracted from him the information that the punishment the sheriff would most likely inflict on Macdonald was a fine of forty shillings, with the alternative of three weeks’ imprisonment. "I will pay the fine," said she, promptly. "I did not authorise you to have that man turned out of his croft; and I won’t have anyone turned out until I have a thorough investigation made, and the rents revised, and the arrears cancelled." But when she proceeded to place before him the comprehensive project she had formed—to carry out which he had been summoned from Inverness—the factor abandoned his obstinate attitude, and became almost plaintive.