wn to the House--to a lady's morning walk.

What he really thought of it all I do not know. I have a kind of
suspicion that deep down in his heart every Scot entertains a contempt
for the volatile and frivolous English which is only equalled by that of
the English for the nation to whom I once heard a Highland minister
refer as "the giddy and godless French"; but Robin was not given to the
revelation of his private thoughts. He seldom spoke of the Twins to
me--he was a discusser of manners rather than men--but he once remarked
that they were girls of widely different character. He entered into no
further details, but I remember being struck by the observation at the
time; for I had always regarded my sisters-in-law as being as identical
in disposition as they were in appearance.

Still it was pretty to see Robin unbending to please the two girls, and
to hear him say "No, really?" or "My word, what rot!" when you knew that
his tongue was itching to cry, "Is that a fact?" or "Hoots!" or
"Havers!" as the occasion demanded.

He also possessed the great and unique merit of not being ashamed to ask
for guidance in a difficulty. I have known him pause before an
unfamiliar dish at table and ask one of his preceptresses, in the
frankest manner possible, whether the exigencies of the situation called
for a spoon or a fork: and out of doors it was a perpetual joy to hear
him whisper, on the approach of some one whom he thought might be a
friend of ours, "Will I lift my hat?"

All that year Robin was my right hand. It was a long session; and as
my Chief sat in the Upper House, much work in the way of answering
questions and making statements fell upon me. We had a good working
majority, but the Opposition were a united and well-organised body
that year, and we had to rise early and go to bed late to keep their
assaults at bay while proceeding with the programme of the session.
Every afternoon, before I entered the House to take my place at
question-time, my secretary insisted on taking me through the answers
which he had prepared for my recitation; and we also discussed the
line of action to be pursued if I were cornered by questions of the
"arising-out-of-that-answer" order.

Personally, I loathed this part of the work--I am a departmentalist pure
and simple--but Robin's eye used to glow with the light of battle as he
rehearsed me in the undoubtedly telling counters with which I was to
pulverise the foe.

"I would like fine