alluded to her misfortune. Though the General was evidently anxious
that Garnesk should make his examination as soon as possible,
hospitality forced him to suggest dinner first, and I was surprised at
the alacrity with which the visitor concurred, knowing, as I did, his
intense interest in the case. But, after a few conventional remarks to
the General and Myra, I was about to show him to his room when he
seized my arm excitedly.

"Quick!" he whispered. "Where's the dog?"

I led him to a room above the coach-house where poor Sholto was a
pitiful prisoner. Garnesk deposited his precious packing-case on the
floor, and called the dog to him. Sholto sprang forward in a moment,
recognising the tone of friendship in the voice, and planted his paws
on my companion's chest. For twenty minutes the examination lasted.
One strange test after another was applied to the poor animal; but he
was very good about it, and seemed to understand that we were trying
to help him.

"I should hate to have to kill that dog, but it may be necessary
before long," said the specialist. "But why didn't you tell Miss
McLeod her dog was blind?"

"We were afraid it would upset her too much," I answered, and then
suddenly realising the point of the question, I added, "but how on
earth did you know we hadn't?"

"Because," he said thoughtfully, "if you had, she strikes me as the
sort of girl who would have asked me straight away what I thought I
could do for him."

"You seem to understand human nature as well as you do science," I
said admiringly.

"The two are identical, or at least co-incident, Mr. Ewart," he
replied solemnly. "But what was it you _did_ tell her?"

"We said he was suffering from a sort of eczema, which looked as if
it might be infectious, and we thought she ought not to be near him
for a bit. Otherwise, of course, she would have wanted him with her
all the time."

When the examination was over for the time being, I chained Sholto
to a hook in an old harness-rack, for he was strong and unused to
captivity, and the door had no lock, only a small bolt outside.
Garnesk packed away his instruments, carried them carefully to the
house, and then we sprinted upstairs to dress hurriedly for dinner.

Myra, poor child, was sensitive about joining us, but the specialist
was very anxious that she should do so, and we all dined together.
There was no allusion whatever to the strange events which had brought
us together, but, with my profe