III.--THE TREASURE BECOMES MINE, BUT IS CLAIMED BY ITS OWNER 29 IV.--ENTER NANCY STAIR 41 V.--I MAKE THE ACQUAINTANCE OF A STRANGE CHILD 53 VI.--NANCY BEGINS HER STUDY OF THE LAW 61 VII.--I TAKE NANCY'S EDUCATION IN HAND 74 VIII.--THE DAFT DAYS 86 IX.--DANVERS BECOMES BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH NANCY 105 X.--NANCY VISITS HIS GRACE OF BORTHWICKE 124 XI.--DANVERS CARMICHAEL MAKES A PROPOSAL 142 XII.--I MEET A GREAT MAN 159 XIII.--THE DUKE VISITS STAIR FOR THE FIRST TIME 166 XIV.--NANCY MEETS HER RIVAL 174 XV.--CONCERNING DANVERS CARMICHAEL AND HIS GRACE OF BORTHWICKE 185 XVI.--NANCY STAIR ARRANGES MATTERS 204 XVII.--"THE SWAP O' RHYMING WARE" 213 XVIII.--I GO DOWN TO MAUCHLINE 232 XIX.--THE QUARREL BETWEEN DANVERS AND NANCY 241 XX.--DANVERS GIVES US A GREAT SURPRISE 259 XXI.--THE ALLISONS' BALL AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWED IT 268 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!"