’There’s Lady Stuart would have ye stay with them at Brighton for a few weeks; but your mother seems to think you should go amongst them as a kind of Mezzofanti—it’s precious little of that there’s about Sir Alexander, as I know well. However, if you’re not to go to them until you are polished out of all human shape and likeness, I suppose I must say nothing——’ ’But I would rather go and stay with Agatha, father,’ the girl said. He looked at her again. ’Well,’ said he, ’I do think something must be done. It would be a fine thing for you—you of all creatures in the world—to sink into a hopeless anæmic condition. Lassie, where’s that eldritch laugh o’ yours gone to? And I see you go dawdling along the road—you that could beat a young roedeer if you were to try. Glasgow?—well, I’ll see what your mother says.’ ’Thank you, father,’ she said, but she did not leave at once. ’I think I heard you say that Mr. Blair was going south on Monday,’ she timidly suggested. This Mr. Blair was a U.P. minister from Glasgow, who was taking a well-earned holiday up at Tongue—fishing in the various lochs in that neighbourhood—and who was known to the Douglases. ’You’re in a deuce of a hurry, Miss,’ her father said, but good-naturedly enough. ’You mean you could go to Glasgow under his escort?’ ’Yes.’ ’Well, I will see what your mother says—I suppose she will be for making a fuss over the necessary preparations.’ But this promise and half permission had instantly brought to the girl a kind of frail and wandering joy and hope; and there was a brief smile on her face as she said— ’Well, you know, father, if I have to get any things I ought to get them in Glasgow. The preparations at Inver-Mudal can’t take much time.’ ’I will see what your mother thinks about it,’ said the big, good-humoured Doctor, who was cautious about assenting to anything until the ruler and lawgiver of the house had been consulted.