nt. He had gone to the new world to find what
the old had denied him, and after a hundred disappointments he was to be
rewarded, through Somerled. He asked now for nothing better than to
return, but only for long enough to see his wife, and take her back to
California with him. To his deep regret, however, he could not start at
once, as he had broken his leg and would not be able to travel for
several weeks at least. Would she come to him as soon as she could
settle her affairs?

I imagine Somerled must have been sorely tempted not to show this
message, for it would rob him of Mrs. James and leave him where he had
been after his quarrel with Aline, minus a chaperon for Barrie, if he
could contrive to snatch the girl from Mrs. Bal. But he had said too
much about the "surprise" to suppress developments now. Besides, it
would have been almost inhuman to delay the meeting of the husband and
wife, so long parted. Neither would have forgiven him if he had coolly
kept them apart for his own convenience; but so grateful, so adoring to
her hero was Mrs. James, that if "the doctor" had not been ill and
needing her, I think of her own free will she would have offered to stop
in Edinburgh for a few days to "see what happened." As it was, there was
no question of her staying. She and Somerled arranged that she should
leave for Carlisle by the first train possible in the morning. At home
she was to settle her few affairs temporarily, and catch a quick ship
for New York, whence she would hurry on to California.

Somerled gave her advice for the journey (and perhaps something more
substantial), but he must have seen that, though virtue might be its own
reward, he was unlikely to get any other. Mrs. Bal had lent Barrie to
us, and without a woman to aid and abet him, it seemed to me that he was
powerless. Such chaperons as Mrs. James don't grow on blackberry bushes
even in Scotland, where blackberries, if not gooseberries, are the best
in the world. Somerled had done for himself.

Oh, there was no doubt of it this time! Not only had we, in the game of
chess we were quietly playing with him, got his little white queen in
check; we had swept her off the board.

* * * * *

Happenings began thick and fast the morning after.

The first thing I heard was, from Aline, that at the theatre last night
(probably just after she sent us away) Mrs. Bal had told Morgan Bennett
in so many words that Barrie was practi