t, out with it; how did the feathers help you, if they
_did_ help you, to find out my uncle, the Marquis? _Gifgaff_, as we say
in Berwickshire. Out with your feathers! and I'll produce my _dragon
volant_, tail and all.'

Merton was horrified. The secret of the Emu's feathers involved the
father of Lady Fastcastle, of his old friend's wife, in a very
distasteful way. Logan, since his marriage, had never shown any
curiosity in the matter. His was a joyous nature; no one was less of a
self-tormentor.

'Well, old fellow,' said Merton, 'keep your dragon, and I'll keep my
Emu.'

'I won't keep him long, I assure you,' said Logan. 'Only for a day or
two, I dare say; then you'll know; sooner perhaps. But, for excellent
reasons, I asked Bude and Lady Bude to say nothing about the
hallucination of these second-sighted Highland fishers. I have a plan. I
think we shall run in the kidnappers; keep your pecker up. You shall be
in it!'

With this promise, and with Logan's jovial confidence (he kept breaking
into laughter as he went) Merton had to be satisfied, though in no humour
for laughing.

'I'm working up to my _denouement_.' Logan said. 'Tremendously
dramatic! You shall be on all through; I am keeping the fat for you,
Merton. It is no bad thing for a young man to render the highest
possible services to a generous millionaire, especially in the
circumstances.'

'You're rather patronising,' said Merton, a little hurt.

'No, no,' said Logan. 'I have played second fiddle to you often, do let
me take command this time--or, at all events, wait till you see my plot
unfolded. Then you can take your part, or leave it alone, or modify to
taste. Nothing can be fairer.'

Merton admitted that these proposals were loyal, and worthy of their old
and tried friendship.

'_Un dragon volant_, flying over the empty sea!' said Logan. 'The
Highlanders beat the world for fantastic visions, and the Islanders beat
the Highlanders. But, look here, am I too inquisitive? The night when
we first thought of the Disentanglers you said there was--somebody. But
I understood that she and you were of one mind, and that only parents and
poverty were in the way. And now, from what you told me this morning at
Inchnadampf, it seems that there is no understanding between you and
_this_ lady, Miss Macrae.'

'There is none,' said Merton. 'I tried to keep my feelings to myself--I'm
ashamed to say that I doubt if I succeeded.'

'Any c