And yet it may be doubted whether, in all the county of Sutherland, or in all the realm of England, there was any happier man that night than Mr. Josiah Hodson. For here was something entirely after his own heart. His pet hobby was playing the part of a small beneficent Providence; and he had already befriended Ronald, and was greatly interested in him; moreover, had he not promised his daughter, when she lay apparently very near to death, that Ronald should be looked after? But surely he had never looked forward to any such opportunity as this! And then the girl was so pretty—that, also, was something. His heart warmed to the occasion; dinner being over, they drew their chairs towards the big fireplace where the peats were blazing cheerfully; Ronald was bidden to light his pipe; and then; the American—in a quiet, indifferent, sententious way, as if he were talking of some quite abstract and unimportant matter—made his proposal. ’Well, now, Ronald,’ said he, as he stirred up some of the peats with his foot, ’you seemed to think that £400 a year and a house thrown in was good enough for the overseer of that Balnavrain place. I don’t know what your intentions are; but if you like to take that situation, it’s yours.’ Ronald looked startled—but only for a moment. ’I thank ye, sir; I thank ye,’ he said, with rather a downcast face. ’I will not say I had no suspicion ye were thinking of some such kindness; and I thank ye—most heartily I thank ye. But it’s beyond me. I could not get the securities.’ ’Well, now, as to that,’ the American said, after a moment’s consideration, ’I am willing to take one security—I mean for the whole amount; and I want to name the person myself. If Miss Douglas will go bail for you—or Mrs. Strang, I suppose I should call her—then there is no more to be said. Ronald, my good fellow, if the place is worth your while, take it; it’s yours.’ A kind of flash of joy and gratitude leapt to the younger man’s eyes; but all he could manage to say was— ’If I could only tell _her_!’ ’Well, now, as to that again,’ said Mr. Hodson, rising slowly, and standing with his back to the fire, ’I have got to take along that present from my daughter—to-morrow morning would be best; and I could give her the information, if you wished. But I’ll tell you what would be still better, my friend: you just let me settle this little affair with the old people—with the mamma, as I understand. I’m not much of a talkist; but if you give me permission I’ll have a try; I think we might come to some kind of a reasonable understanding, if she doesn’t flatten me with her swell relations. Why, yes, I think I can talk sense to her. I don’t want to see the girl kept in that position; your Scotch ways—well, we haven’t got any old ballads in my country, and we like to have our marriages fair and square and aboveboard: now let me tell the old lady the whole story, and try to make it up with her. She can’t scold my head off.’