“Come now,” said Lenorme, growing more and more interested in his new acquaintance, “tell me something about your life. Account for yourself.--If you will make a friendship of it, you must do that.” “I will, sir,” said Malcolm, and with the word began to tell him most things he could think of as bearing upon his mental history up to and after the time also when his birth was disclosed to him. In omitting that disclosure he believed he had without it quite accounted for himself. Through the whole recital he dwelt chiefly on the lessons and influences of the schoolmaster. “Well, I must admit,” said Lenorme when he had ended, “that you are no longer unintelligible, not to say incredible. You have had a splendid education, in which I hope you give the herring and Kelpie their due share.” He sat silently regarding him for a few moments. Then he said: “I’ll tell you what now: if I help you to buy a horse, you must help me to paint a picture.” “I don’t know how I’m to do that,” said Malcolm, “but if _you_ do, that’s enough. I shall only be too happy to do what I can.” “Then I’ll tell you.--But you’re not to tell _any_body: it’s a secret.--I have discovered that there is no suitable portrait of Lady Lossie’s father. It is a great pity. His brother and his father and grandfather are all in Portland Place, in Highland costume, as chiefs of their clan; his place only is vacant. Lady Lossie, however, has in her possession one or two miniatures of him, which, although badly painted, I should think may give the outlines of his face and head with tolerable correctness. From the portraits of his predecessors, and from Lady Lossie herself, I gain some knowledge of what is common to the family; and from all together I hope to gather and paint what will be recognizable by her as a likeness of her father--which afterwards I hope to better by her remarks. These remarks I hope to get first from her feelings unadulterated by criticism, through the surprise of coming upon the picture suddenly; afterwards from her judgment at its leisure. Now I remember seeing you wait at table--the first time I saw you--in the Highland dress: will you come to me so dressed, and let me paint from you?” “I’ll do better than that, sir,” cried Malcolm, eagerly. “I’ll get up from Lossie House my lord’s very dress that he wore when he went to court--his jewelled dirk, and Andrew Ferrara broadsword with the hilt of real silver. That’ll greatly help your design upon my lady, for he dressed up in them all more than once just to please her.” “Thank you,” said Lenorme very heartily; “that will be of immense advantage. Write at once.” “I will, sir.--Only I’m a bigger man than my--late master, and you must mind that.” “I’ll see to it. You get the clothes, and all the rest of the accoutrements--rich with barbaric gems and gold, and----” “Neither gems nor gold, sir;--honest Scotch cairngorms and plain silver,” said Malcolm. “I only quoted Milton,” returned Lenorme.