The next moment, a not very pleasant-looking old man entered, supported on one side by Cosmo and on the other by Agnes. They had had no little difficulty in waking him up, and he entered, vaguely supposing they had arrived at an inn where they were to spend the night. If his grumbling and swearing as he advanced was _sotto voce_, the assuagement was owing merely to his not being sufficiently awake to use more vigour. The laird left the lady and advanced to meet him, but he took no notice of him, regarding his welcome as the obsequiousness of a landlord, and turned shivering towards the fire, where Grizzie was hastening to set him a chair. “The fire’s the best flooer i’ the gairden, an’ the pig’s the best coo i’ the herdin’, my lord,” she said--an old saw to which his lordship might have been readier to respond, had he remembered that the _pig_ sometimes meant the stone jar that held the whisky. As soon as Lord Mergwain was seated, Cosmo drew his father aside, told him the names of their guests, and in what difficulty he had found them, and added that the lady and the horses were sober enough, but for the other two he would not answer. “We have been spending some weeks at Canmore Castle in Ross-shire, and are now on our way home,” said Lady Joan to Mistress Warlock. “You have come a long way round,” remarked the old lady, not so pleased with the manners of her male visitor, on whom she kept casting, every now and then, a full glance. “We have,” replied Lady Joan. “We turned out of our way to visit an old friend of papa’s, and have been storm-bound till he--I mean papa--could bear it no longer. We sent our servants on this morning. They are, I hope, by this time, waiting us at Howglen.” The fire had been thawing the sleep out of Lord Mergwain, and now at length he was sufficiently awake to be annoyed that his daughter should hold so much converse with the folk of the inn. “Can’t you show us to a room?” he said gruffly, “and get us something to eat?” “We are doing the best we can for your lordship,” replied the laird. “But we were not expecting visitors, and one of the rooms you will have to occupy, has not been in use for some time. In such weather as this, it will take two or three hours of a good fire to render it fit to sleep in. But I will go myself, and see that the servant is making what haste she can.” He put on his hat over his night-cap, and made for the door. “That’s right, landlord,” cried his lordship; “always see to the comfort of your guests yourself--But bless me! you don’t mean we have to go out of doors to reach our bedrooms?” “I am afraid we cannot help it,” returned the laird, arresting his step. “There used to be a passage connecting the two houses, but for some reason or other--I never heard what--it was closed in my father’s time.” “He must have been an old fool!” remarked the visitor. “My lord!” “I said your father must have been an old fool,” repeated his lordship testily.