t as if it had been planned on purpose. But,
of course, that idea is nonsense. Basil said, 'Now, if you could
only care a little, and make up your mind to wait for the love, we
could be married at once, because I believe it's still easy to do
these things quickly in Scotland.' But I told him _I_ didn't feel
as if I could, even to please Barbara, though I liked him very
much. And I began to think that, after all, I should have to go
back to Carlisle and beg Grandma to take me in, when who should
come teuf-teufing up to the hotel but Mr. Somerled in the darling
Gray Dragon. I could have cried with joy. It was like a miracle,
because, though I thought he might come along some time, I wasn't
expecting him then, any more than you would expect manna to fall in
1912 just because you happened to be hungry and lost.

You will be surprised perhaps at my feeling that I was saved from
Basil and Grandma simply because Mr. Somerled happened to turn up
at our hotel in his motor-car. But I haven't told you all yet. He
wasn't alone. He had collected Duncan MacDonald and Miss MacDonald,
and he'd come to Ballachulish looking for us. I must confess to you
now that I wrote to him twice or three times, which was only
polite, as he'd been so kind about rescuing me before. And you
hadn't forbidden me to write. One of the things I told him in a
letter was about the visit to Mrs. Payne the Vannecks might be
making: and it occurred to him that some such complication as this
might arise. He thought if Mr. and Mrs. Vanneck wanted to go to the
Round House, it would be very nice for me to join my cousins (of
course the MacDonalds are my cousins) until you are ready for me to
come back to you. Or else I could go and stay at Dunelin Castle at
Dhrum, for they are willing to visit him there if I do. It has been
let to him for years, you know. As the MacDonalds are poor he was
afraid, if he didn't take the castle, they might let or even sell
it to some vulgar rich person who would spoil the island he loves.
Now he may buy it himself: for Duncan MacDonald has no son, and the
daughter is so plain and old that she can't possibly marry. Won't
it be good to have the castle still belonging to a MacDonald? And
it is so romantic that it should be Ian Somerled MacDonald, whom
Duncan used to de