"Oh, the laird's no the marrying sort anyhow. He says to me himself one day when I'd taken the liberty of suggesting that a lady would suit the castle fine--we was shooting and I was carrying his cartridges, which I do for amusement, miss, whiles--'Bisset,' says he, 'the lady will have to be a damned keen shot to think me worth a cartridge. I'm too tough for the table,' says he, 'and not ornamental enough to stuff. They've let me off so far, and why the he--' begging your pardon, miss, but Stanesland uses strong expressions sometimes. 'Why the something,' says he, 'should they want to put me in the bag now? I'm happier free--and so's the lady.' But he's a grand shot and a vera friendly gentleman, vera friendly indeed. It's a pity, though, he's that ugly." "Ugly!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I don't think him ugly at all. He's very striking looking. I think he is rather handsome." Bisset looked at her with a benevolently reproving eye. "Weel, miss, it's all a matter of taste, but to my mind Stanesland is a fine gentleman, but the vera opposite extreme from a Venus." He broke off and glanced towards the house. "Oh, help us! There's one of thae helpless women crying on me. How this house would get on wanting me----!" He left Miss Farmond to paint the gloomy picture for herself. X THE LETTER It was a few days later that Cicely looked up from the local paper she was reading and asked: "Who was George Rattar?" Sir Reginald laid down his book and looked at her in some surprise. "George Rattar? What do you know about him?" "I see the announcement of his death. 'Son of the late John Simon Rattar' he's called." "That's Silent Simon's brother!" exclaimed Sir Reginald. "Where did he die?" "In New York, it says." Sir Reginald turned to his wife. "We can hardly send our sympathies to Simon on this bereavement!" "No," she said significantly. "I suppose congratulations would be more appropriate." The baronet took the paper from Cicely and studied it himself. "Died about a fortnight ago, I see," he observed. "I wonder whether Simon put this announcement in himself, or whether brother George arranged it in his will? It would be quite like the fellow to have this posthumous wipe at Simon. George had a certain sense of humour--which Simon lacks. And there was certainly no love lost between them!" "Why should it annoy Mr. Rattar?" asked Cicely. "Because brother George was not a member of his family he would care to be reminded of. Though on the other hand, Simon is as hard as whinstone and has as much sentiment as this teapot, and he may have put the notice in himself simply to show the world he was rid of the fellow." "What was George Rattar then?" enquired Cicely. "He was once Simon Rattar's partner, wasn't he, Reginald?" said Lady Cromarty. "And then he swindled him, didn't he?"