he beginning again.

Dr. Anderson remained for a few days at Bodyfauld, sending Shargar to
Rothieden for some necessaries from The Boar's Head, where he had left
his servant and luggage. During this time Mr. Lammie was much occupied
with his farm affairs, anxious to get his harvest in as quickly as
possible, because a change of weather was to be dreaded; so the doctor
was left a good deal to himself. He was fond of wandering about, but,
thoughtful as he was, did not object to the companionship which Robert
implicitly offered him: before many hours were over, the two were
friends.

Various things attracted Robert to the doctor. First, he was a relation
of his own, older than himself, the first he had known except his
father, and Robert's heart was one of the most dutiful. Second, or
perhaps I ought to have put this first, he was the only gentleman,
except Eric Ericson, whose acquaintance he had yet made. Third, he was
kind to him, and gentle to him, and, above all, respectful to him; and
to be respected was a new sensation to Robert altogether. And lastly,
he could tell stories of elephants and tiger hunts, and all The Arabian
Nights of India. He did not volunteer much talk, but Robert soon found
that he could draw him out.

But what attracted the man to the boy?

'Ah! Robert,' said the doctor one day, sadly, 'it's a sore thing to come
home after being thirty years away.'

He looked up at the sky, then all around at the hills: the face of
Nature alone remained the same. Then his glance fell on Robert, and he
saw a pair of black eyes looking up at him, brimful of tears. And thus
the man was drawn to the boy.

Robert worshipped Dr. Anderson. As long as he remained their visitor,
kite and violin and all were forgotten, and he followed him like a dog.
To have such a gentleman for a relation, was grand indeed. What could he
do for him? He ministered to him in all manner of trifles--a little to
the amusement of Dr. Anderson, but more to his pleasure, for he saw
that the boy was both large-hearted and lowly-minded: Dr. Anderson had
learned to read character, else he would never have been the honour to
his profession that he was.

But all the time Robert could not get him to speak about his father. He
steadily avoided the subject.

When he went away, the two boys walked with him to The Boar's Head,
caught a glimpse of his Hindoo attendant, much to their wonderment,
received from the doctor a sovereign apiece and a kind