st--or, if you think it unnecessary, in the
meanwhile to make preparations for their defence. I hope, sir, that I am
as little anxious to be Quixotic as I am determined to be just."

"Very fairly spoken," said Mr. Robbie. "It is not much in my line, as
doubtless your friend, Mr. Romaine, will have told you. I rarely mix
myself up with anything on the criminal side, or approaching it.
However, for a young gentleman like you, I may stretch a point, and I
dare say I may be able to accomplish more than perhaps another. I will
go at once to the Procurator Fiscal's office and inquire."

"Wait a moment, Mr. Robbie," said I. "You forget the chapter of
expenses. I had thought, for a beginning, of placing a thousand pounds
in your hands."

"My dear sir, you will kindly wait until I render you my bill," said Mr.
Robbie severely.

"It seemed to me," I protested, "that coming to you almost as a
stranger, and placing in your hands a piece of business so contrary to
your habits, some substantial guarantee of my good faith----"

"Not the way that we do business in Scotland, sir," he interrupted, with
an air of closing the dispute.

"And yet, Mr. Robbie," I continued, "I must ask you to allow me to
proceed. I do not merely refer to the expenses of the case. I have my
eye besides on Sim and Candlish. They are thoroughly deserving fellows;
they have been subjected through me to a considerable term of
imprisonment; and I suggest, sir, that you should not spare money for
their indemnification. This will explain," I added, smiling, "my offer
of the thousand pounds. It was in the nature of a measure by which you
should judge the scale on which I can afford to have this business
carried through."

"I take you perfectly, Mr. Ducie," said he. "But the sooner I am off,
the better this affair is likely to be guided. My clerk will show you
into the waiting-room and give you the day's _Caledonian Mercury_ and
the last _Register_ to amuse yourself with in the interval."

I believe Mr. Robbie was at least three hours gone. I saw him descend
from a cab at the door, and almost immediately after I was shown again
into his study, where the solemnity of his manner led me to augur the
worst. For some time he had the inhumanity to read me a lecture as to
the incredible silliness, "not to say immorality," of my behaviour. "I
have the satisfaction in telling you my opinion, because it appears that
you are going to get off scot-free," he continued, whe