y new friend. She had
been very shy of Olvery, but she took an immediate fancy to the
Glasgow specialist. She liked his voice, she told me afterwards, and
on the second day of his visit she asked him if his sister was very
much younger than he. Garnesk looked up in surprise.

"One of them is," he replied, "nearly twenty years. What made you
ask?"

"I guessed it by the way you talk to me," Myra declared confidently.

"The detective instinct seems to be in the air," I laughed.

So when I borrowed Angus's ramshackle old cycle, and went into Glenelg
along a road which is more noteworthy for its picturesqueness than its
navigable qualities, I left Garnesk to his examination with the
knowledge that he would do his utmost, and that she would help him all
she could.

I wired to Dennis: "I can meet you at Mallaig Monday morning. Wire
reply.--RONALD." Then I sent a couple of picture postcards to Tommy
and Jack, wishing them luck, and explaining that I had not returned to
join them because Myra was ill. I was sure Dennis would appreciate the
urgency of my message, but I worded it carefully, deliberately making
it appear to be the answer to an inquiry, for the reason that it is
always wise to do as little as you can to stimulate local gossip.
Anything like "Come at once; most urgent," despatched by one who was
known to be a visitor at the lodge, would have set the entire
country-side talking. So I jumped on to Angus's collection of old
metal, and jolted back again as fast as I could. Garnesk was still
engaged with Myra, and I took the opportunity of a chat with her
father.

"Would you care to see the discoveries we made this morning?" I asked,
when I found him in the library.

"Yes, I should indeed, my boy," he responded eagerly, and I think he
was glad of the diversion. "I'll come with you now."

"There is one thing I want to say, sir, before we go any farther."

"What is it?" he asked, looking rather anxiously at me.

"I want to tell you," I said, "that in the event of Myra not regaining
her sight I should like your permission to marry her as soon as she
herself wishes it. As you know, I have a small private income, which
is sufficient for my needs in London, and would be more than I should
require up here. If Myra is to be blind, I should like to marry her in
order that I may always be able to take care of her, and I should
propose to settle down somewhere near you. I dabble in contributory
journalism, and I could e