auld schulemaister's wand!"

Under such circumstances it became necessary to take counsel with the
Inspector of the Poor with a view to getting McConnachie placed under
restraint. Matters were easily settled and a time fixed for his
deportation to the County Asylum.

But though the old fellow was mad enough in some respects, he was sharp
enough in others! It required diplomacy to get him to leave his home
and undertake a journey even in the conveyance which the Inspector had
promised to provide to take him to the railway station some miles away.
Farquharson, on account of his office, was the only person in the
community who was on terms of cordiality with McConnachie; for the old
man had a great idea of his position in Ardmuirland, and held himself
somewhat above the common run of people. With Farquharson he could
converse as with one who was _almost_ an equal--not absolutely, for he
himself had been through some little training which the other had not.
To Farquharson, therefore, the Inspector looked for assistance. He
arranged for him to travel with the old fellow, under the pretence of
visiting a large school on the invitation of a master there whom he
knew; this supposititious friend had included McConnachie in the letter
(really written by the Inspector) which Farquharson had received on the
subject.

The old schoolmaster was easily duped by this trick, and on an
appointed day the two set off. The first obstacle arose at the
station, when Farquharson had taken the tickets, for which the "friend"
had provided the necessary money.

"I should like to have my own ticket," the older man remarked with an
air of dignity. "I'm not a bairn to be likely to lose it."

Here was a slight difficulty! Farquharson had taken a single ticket
for the other and a return for himself. It would never do to allow
this to be known. On the other hand, McConnachie must be kept in good
humor or he would give trouble to his guardian, who began now to see
the weak points in the plot. So trusting to the certainty of being
able to get back the remaining half-ticket when the old man was safely
lodged in the Asylum, he retained the single ticket and gave
McConnachie the other.

They reached the end of their railway journey successfully, and
Farquharson managed to explain their destination to a porter privately,
and asked him to get a cab for them. The man was either stupid or was
disappointed at receiving an insignificant tip, sinc