is no' a very chancy kind of a
proceeding, and I'm bound to be prepared. And now that we understand
each other, ye'll can name your business."

"Why," says Alan, "you that are a man of so much understanding will
doubtless have perceived that I am a Hieland gentleman. My name has nae
business in my story; but the county of my friends is no' very far from
the Isle of Mull, of which ye will have heard. It seems there was a ship
lost in those parts; and the next day a gentleman of my family was
seeking wreck-wood for his fire along the sands, when he came upon a lad
that was half drowned. Well, he brought him to; and he and some other
gentlemen took and clapped him in an auld, ruined castle, where from
that day to this he has been a great expense to my friends. My friends
are a wee wild-like, and not so particular about the law as some that I
could name; and finding that the lad owned some decent folk, and was
your born nephew, Mr. Balfour, they asked me to give ye a bit call and
to confer upon the matter. And I may tell ye at the off-go, unless we
can agree upon some terms, ye are little likely to set eyes upon him.
For my friends," added Alan simply, "are no' very well off."

My uncle cleared his throat. "I'm no' very caring," says he. "He wasna a
good lad at the best of it, and I've nae call to interfere."

"Ay, ay," said Alan, "I see what ye would be at: pretending ye don't
care, to make the ransom smaller."

"Na," said my uncle, "it's the mere truth. I take nae manner of interest
in the lad, and I'll pay nae ransom, and ye can make a kirk and a mill
of him for what I care."

"Hoot, sir," says Alan. "Blood's thicker than water, in the deil's name!
Ye canna desert your brother's son for the fair shame of it; and if ye
did, and it came to be kennt, ye wouldna be very popular in your
countryside, or I'm the more deceived."

"I'm no' just very popular the way it is," returned Ebenezer; "and I
dinna see how it would come to be kennt. No' by me, onyway; nor yet by
you or your friends. So that's idle talk, my buckie," says he.

"Then it'll have to be David that tells it," said Alan.

"How that?" says my uncle sharply.

"Ou, just this way," says Alan. "My friends would doubtless keep your
nephew as long as there was any likelihood of siller to be made of it,
but if there was nane, I am clearly of opinion they would let him gang
where he pleased, and be damned to him!"

"Ay, but I'm no very caring about that either,"