’I’ll see you to-night, Ronald,’ said he, ’I’m going off by the mail again to-morrow.’ And as he passed by Miss Carry, he said, very modestly and respectfully— ’I hope you will have good sport.’ ’Thank you,’ said she, most civilly, for he seemed a well-mannered young man, as he slightly bowed to her in passing, and made his way out. Ronald had everything ready for the start. ’I’m feared they’ll be laughing at us for trying the river on so clear a day,’ said he, as he put his big fly-book in his pocket. ’And there’s been no rain to let the fish get up.’ ’Oh I don’t mind about that,’ said she, as he held the door open, and she went out, ’it will be more interesting than the lake. However, I’ve nothing to say against the lake fishing, for it has done such wonders for my father. I have not seen him so well for years. Whether it is the quiet life, or the mountain air, I don’t know, but he sleeps perfectly, and he has entirely given up the bromide of potassium. I do hope he will take the shooting and come back in the autumn.’ ’His lordship was saying there were two other gentlemen after it,’ remarked Ronald significantly. ’Who was saying?’ ’His lordship—that was in the house the now when ye came in.’ ’Was that Lord Ailine?’ she said—and she almost paused in their walk along the road. ’Oh yes.’ ’You don’t say! Why, how did he come here?’ ’By the mail this morning.’ ’With the country people?’ ’Just like anybody else,’ he said. ’Well, I declare! I thought he would have come with a coach and outriders—in state, you know——’ ’What for?’ said he impassively. ’He had no luggage, I suppose, but a bag and a waterproof. It’s different in the autumn, of course, when all the gentlemen come up, and there’s luggage and the rifles and the cartridge-boxes—then they have to have a brake or a waggonette.’ ’And that was Lord Ailine,’ she said, half to herself; and there was no further speaking between them until they had gone past the Doctor’s cottage and over the bridge and were some distance up ’the strath that Mudal laves’—to quote her companion’s own words. ’Now,’ said he, as he stooped and began to put together the slender grilse-rod, ’we’ll just let ye try a cast or two on this bit of open grass—and we’ll no trouble with a fly as yet.’ He fastened on the reel, got the line through the rings, and drew out a few yards’ length. Then he gave her the rod; showed her how to hold it; and then stood just behind her, with his right hand covering hers. ’Now,’ said he, ’keep your left hand just about as steady as ye can—and don’t jerk—this way— Of course it was really he who was making these few preliminary casts, and each time the line ran out and fell straight and trembling on the grass. ’Now try it yourself.’ At first she made a very bad job of it—especially when she tried to do it by main force; the line came curling down not much more than the rod’s length in front of her, and the more she whipped the closer became the curls.