' he said; 'it is too odious.'

The Rev. Mr. Williams being indisposed, dined alone in his room that
night; so did Blake, who was still far from well.

The only other incident was that Donald Macdonald and the new gillie,
Duncan Mackay, were reported to be 'lying around in a frightfully
dissolute state.' Donald was a sober man, but Mackay, he explained next
morning, proved to be his long lost cousin, hence the revel. Mackay,
separately, stated that he had made Donald intoxicated for the purpose of
eliciting any guilty secret which he might possess. But whisky had
elicited nothing.

On the whole the London detectives had not been entirely a success. Mr.
Macrae therefore arranged to send both of them back to Lairg, where they
would strike the line, and return to the metropolis.

Merton had casually talked of Logan (Lord Fastcastle) to Mr. Macrae on
the previous evening, and mentioned that he was now likely to be at
Inchnadampf. Mr. Macrae knew something of Logan, and before he sped the
parting detectives, asked Merton whether he thought that he might send a
note to Inchnadampf inviting his friend to come and bear him company?
Merton gravely said that in such a crisis as theirs he thought that Logan
would be extremely helpful, and that he was a friend of the Budes.
Perhaps he himself had better go and pick up Logan and inform him fully
as to the mysterious events? As Mr. Gianesi was also expected from
London on that day (Thursday) to examine the wireless machine, which had
been silent, Mr. Macrae sent off several vehicles, as well as the motor
that carried the detectives. Merton drove the tandem himself.

Merton found Logan, with his Spanish bull-dog, Bouncer, loafing outside
the hotel door at Inchnadampf. He greeted Merton in a state of
suppressed glee; the whole adventure was much to the taste of the scion
of Rostalrig. Merton handed him Mr. Macrae's letter of invitation.

'Come, won't I come, rather!' said Logan.

'Of course we must wait to rest the horses,' said Merton. 'The motor has
gone on to Lairg, carrying two detectives who have made a pretty foozle
of it, and it will bring back an electrician.'

'What for?' asked Logan.

'I must tell you the whole story,' said Merton. 'Let us walk a little
way--too many gillies and people loafing about here.'

They walked up the road and sat down by little Loch Awe, the lochan on
the way to Alt-na-gealgach. Merton told all the tale, beginning with his
curi