"We haven't got a hearth," said Elspeth bluntly. "Aye, but ye'll hae a braw ane, I doot not," said Gowrie cunningly, and watched the effect of his remark out of the corner of his wicked old eye. It was Kind who replied, as he was beginning to have an inkling of why Mr. Gowrie had put in so opportune an appearance. "I don't know if you guessed that Elspeth had a hand in Mr. Herries' escape," said he, looking steadily at his visitor, "but you came down here to see if you could force her to become engaged to Mr. Herries." "There's nae force required," chuckled Gowrie. "You didn't know that. God has brought these two unlucky people together, I verily believe, so that they may be happy in the long run. You guessed,--at least I can't think how you could know in any way,--you guessed that Elspeth saved Mr. Herries from immediate arrest, and probably, as you say, you saw, when Herries came to the inn that Elspeth liked him--" "Luved him--luved him. Dinna use weak worrds." "Well then, loved him. You thought to come here and see if Elspeth would marry him, and----" "I went to the inn," cried Gowrie, speaking English, and in a most indignant manner. "Mrs. Narby promised to give me house-room always, so long as Elspeth worked for her. And I found that Elspeth had insulted that most excellent lady, and I was turned out of my Patmos,--my refuge in the wilderness. Mrs. Narby sent me here, to your house on wheels, saying she was here." "Well then, I am here. What do you want?" "Dae ye ken I'm yer faither?" demanded Gowrie wrathfully. "Only too well," she replied bitterly, "had you not been my father, I should never have slaved for Mrs. Narby. But I agree with Sweetlips, you came here with some scheme in your head. What is it?" "I know," said Sweetlips, interposing contemptuously. "He intended to get you to find Herries, and ask him to marry you out of gratitude." "I should never have done that," cried the girl flushing. "There is no need to, as things have turned out," retorted Kind bluntly, "but your father here wants you to marry Mr. Herries." "Aye, aye," mumbled Gowrie, "I'm gey auld, and ma child,--weeckedly as she talks to her puir auld faither, must nae be left wi'oot a protector, when I'm in ma lang hame, the which is the grave." "You have no idea of going to your long home for years," said Kind, coolly. "You lay low and did not come forward to save Mr. Herries until you saw that it would be to your advantage." "As how?" asked Gowrie politely, but his face grew red. "You saw in the newspapers that Herries inherited his uncle's money." "On condeetions, mind ye," chuckled Gowrie. "So that is why you have come?" asked Elspeth, angrily. Gowrie rose to his full height, which was tall enough nearly to touch the roof of the caravan, and thrust one hand into the breast of his ragged frock-coat in quite a Napoleonic attitude.