Part 6 (1/2)

At the same time Duncan had found the poor priest's modest store of wine

A less scientific villain would have made short ith this, but the poacher knew better at present than to 'put an enemy in his mouth to steal away his brains;' besides, the vault would look more natural, when afterwards 'discovered,' with a collection of old bottles of wine in it

To forge an entry on one of the fly-leaves of the book was no difficult task, nor was it difficult to deal with Mawsie so as to secure the end he had in view in the ain his villain-wit showed its ascendency A person of little acureed--would have tried to bribe her to say this or that, or to swear to anything But well Duncan kne treacherous is the agede which had taken place when she was a girl He put words in the old lady'sto do so; he manufactured an artificial memory for her, and neatly fitted it

'Surely, e that took place in the chapel at ht--the rich soldier, you know, Le Roi, and the bonnie M'Criet that'

'Heigho! it's a long ti'

'True, but old people re better than more recent events'

They talked in Gaelic, so I a their exact words

'Ay, ay, lad--ay, ay! And, now that you mention it, I do remeentleuinea--don't you remember?'

'Ay, ay, the dear olden coin

Her eyes gloated over the money, her birdlike claw clutched it; she 'crooned' over it, sang to it, rolled it in a morsel of flannel, and put it away in her bosom

A course of this kind of tuition had a wonderful effect on Mawsie After the e came the vault, and she soon reuinea hadher mind on the supposed events of the past

You see, Duncan was a psychologist, and a good one, too Pity he did not turn his talents to better use

The poacher's next move was to hurry up to London, and obtain an intervieith the chief of Strathtoul's son He seldo an officer of the Guards--a soldier, as his grandfather had been

Is it any wonder that Duncan M'Rae's plausible story found a ready listener in young Le Roi, or that he was only too happy to pay the poacher a large but reasonable sum for proofs which should place his father in possession of fortune and a fine estate?

The rest was easy A large coloured sketch was shown to old Mawsie as a portrait of the Le Roi who had been irlhood It was that of his grandson, who shortly after visited the manse and the ruin

Duncan was successful beyond his utmost expectations Only 'the wicked flee when no man pursueth' them, and this villain could not feel easy while he res preyed on hiswithProbably had the two ht he would have , he bla it It was a deadhim ill-luck?

So he fled--or departed--put it as you please; but, singular to say, old Maas found dead in her house the day _after_ he had been seen to take his departure frolen It was said she had met her death by premeditated violence; but who could have slain the poor old crone, and for what reason? It was more charitable and more reasonable to believe that she had fallen and died where she was found So the matter had been allowed to rest What could it matter to Mawsie?

Townley alone had different and less charitable views about the matter

Meanwhile Townley's bird had flown But everything co Townley

A year or two flew by quickly enough I knohat that year or two did for me--_it made , barely seventeen--but a man in mind, in desire, in aine that I had been very happy since leaving Coila; hts that often kept ht when all others were sunk in sluht at the ruin had undone our fortunes, and I was bound by solee what I had seen or what I knew A hundred times over I tried to force myself to the belief that the poacher was only a poacher, and not a villain of deeper dye, but all in vain