Part 38 (1/2)

”My dear, I have done with him,” said Alan, and went, and sat on a table, with his arms crossed and the sword naked in his hand

Awhile she stood before thesuddenly about and faced hione!” was her word, ”take your shahter of Alpin! Shaone!”

It was said with so much passion as awoke me fro, she with the red stain on her kerchief, he white as a rag I knew hih-I knew it must have pierced him in the quick place of his soul; but he betook hi his sword, though still with a bright eye on Alan, ”if this brawl is over I will but get oes no pockmantie out of this place except with me,” says Alan

”Sir!” cries Jahter of yours is to marry my friend Davie, upon the which account I let you pack with a hale carcase But take you et that carcase out of harm's way or ower late Little as you suppose it, there are leemits to my temper”

”Be damned, sir, but my money's there!” said James

”I'm vexed about that, too,” says Alan, with his funny face, ”but now, ye see, it's ravity, ”Be you advised, James More, you leave this house”

James seemed to cast about for a h of Alan's swordsmanshi+p, for he suddenly put off his hat to us and (with a face like one of the daone

At the same time a spell was lifted from me

”Catriona,” I cried, ”it was me-it was my sword O, are youyou for the pain of it; it was done defending that badscratch, ”see, you have made a man of me noill carry a wound like an old soldier”

Joy that she should be so little hurt, and the love of her brave nature, supported me I embraced her, I kissed the wound

”And a,Catriona by either shoulder, ”My dear,” he said, ”you're a true daughter of Alpin By all accounts, he was a very fine etfor a 's name and speak the truth”

He said it with a serious heat of adh her, to races And the next ain

”And now by your leave, my dawties,” said he, ”this is a' very bonny; but Alan Breck'll be a wee thing nearer to the gallows than he's caring for; and Dod! I think this is a grand place to be leaving”

The word recalled us to sos and James More's portmanteau; I picked up Catriona's bundle where she had dropped it on the stair; and ere setting forth out of that dangerous house, when Bazin stopped the ith cries and gesticulations He had whipped under a table when the swords were drawn, but noas as bold as a lion There was his bill to be settled, there was a chair broken, Alan had sat as, James More had fled

”Here,” I cried, ”pay yourself,” and flung hiht it was no ti upon that money, and we passed him by, and ran forth into the open Upon three sides of the house were sea in; a little nearer to us Jaht behind hi up his hands, were the sails of the windlance, and laid hiht in James More's portmanteau; but I think he would as soon have lost his life as cast away that booty which was his revenge; and he ran so that I was distressed to follow hi at uise upon the other side; and the seamen pursued us with shouts and view-hullohs We had a start of soed tarpaulins after all, that could not hope to better us at such an exercise I suppose they were arround And as soon as I perceived that we not only held our advantage but drew a little away, I began to feel quite easy of the issue For all which, it was a hot, brisk bit of work, so long as it lasted; Dunkirk was still far off; and e popped over a knowe, and found a co on the other side on some manuvre, I could very well understand the word that Alan had

He stopped running at once; andat his brow, ”They're a real bonny folk, the French nation,” says he

CONCLUSION

No sooner e safe within the walls of Dunkirk than we held a very necessary council-of-war on our position We had taken a daughter froive her back to him at once, and by all likelihood clap ument upon our side in Captain Palliser's letter, neither Catriona nor I were very keen to be using it in public Upon all accounts it seeirl to Paris to the hands of her own chieftain, Macgregor of Bohaldie, ould be very willing to help his kinswoman, on the one hand, and not at all anxious to dishonour James upon other

We ood at the riding as the running, and had scarce sat in the saddle since the 'Forty-five But we , and uidance, to find Bohaldie He was finely lodged, and lived in a good style, having a pension on the Scots Fund, as well as private reeted Catriona like one of his own house, and seeether very civil and discreet, but not particularly open We asked of the news of James More ”Poor Jaht he knew further than he meant to tell Then we showed hi face at that

”Poor Jaain ”Well, there are worse folk than James More, too But this is dreadful bad Tut, tut, he ot himself entirely! This is a entlemen, I cannot see ould want to make it public for It's an ill bird that fouls his own nest, and we are all Scots folk and all Hieland”

Upon this we all agreed, save perhaps Alan; and still e, which Bohaldie took in his own hands, as though there had been no such person as Jaave Catriona aith very pretty reeable compliments in French It was not till all was over, and our healths drunk, that he told us James was in that city, whither he had preceded us soht I saw by my wife's face ay her inclination pointed