"'It is a' as your lairdship suspicioned. If your lairdship will come your ways hame at ance, you will find the sinful pair in me leddy's boudoir.'" The note had neither name nor date. "You know," pursued Lord Vincent, "that we hurried home; you saw me speak aside with Cuthbert in the hall; in that short interview he informed me that he had remained upon the watch, and that the villain had not yet left Lady Vincent's apartments; that he was still within them!" "Oh, Cuthbert! I believed you to be an honest old man! It is awful to find you in league with these wretches!" exclaimed Claudia, in sorrowful indignation. "Ou, me leddy! I'd rather these auld limbs o' mine had been streaket in death, ere I had to use them in siccan uncanny wark! But the Lord's will be dune!" groaned the old man, is such sincere grief that Claudia was thoroughly perplexed. And all this time the viscount was continuing his cool, devlish monologue. "It was for this reason, ladies, that I burst open the door and called you in; and it was to prevent the escape of the fellow that I placed Cuthbert on guard at the door. Now, my lady, that you understand the cause of the 'violence' of which you just now complained, you will please to permit me to search the room. You cannot complain that I have acted with unseemly haste. I have proceeded with great deliberation. In fact, your accomplice has had abundant time to escape, if he had the means." "Lord Vincent, these outrages shall cost you your life!" exclaimed Claudia, in the low, deep, stern key of concentrated passion. "All in good time, my lady," sneered the viscount, commencing the humiliating search. He looked in the recess of the bay window; peeped behind curtains; opened closets: and finally drew a large easy-chair from the corner of the room. "Pray, whom do you expect to find concealed in my apartment, my lord?" demanded Claudia, white with rage. "My respectable valet, the good Mr. Frisbie. And here he is!" replied the viscount sarcastically. And to Claudia's horror and amazement he drew the trembling wretch from his concealment and hurled him into the center of the room, where he stood with dangling arms and bending legs, pale and quaking, but whether with real or assumed fear Claudia could not tell. "How came this fellow in my room?" she demanded, in consternation. "Aye, sure enough! how did he come here?" sneered Lord Vincent. Mrs. Dugald laughed. Mrs. MacDonald raised both her hands in horror. "Come! perhaps he'll tell us why he came here! Confess, you scoundrel! Say what brought you here!" exclaimed the viscount, suddenly changing his tone from cool irony to burning rage, as he seized and shook his valet. "Oh, my lord, I will! I will! only let go my collar!" gasped the man, shaking or affecting to shake. "Confess, then, you rascal! What brought you here?" "Oh, my lord, mercy! mercy! I will confess! I will!" "Do it, then, you villain!" "Oh, my lord, I--I come--at--at my lady's invitation, my lord!"