ad better give me an
address at which Sir Patrick can write to you. You wouldn't, I suppose,
wish me to say that I had seen you here, and that you refused to
communicate with him?"

"Never think it!" cried Bishopriggs, fervently. "If there's ain thing
mair than anither that I'm carefu' to presairve intact, it's joost the
respectful attention that I owe to Sir Paitrick. I'll make sae bauld,
miss, au to chairge ye wi' that bit caird. I'm no' settled in ony place
yet (mair's the pity at my time o' life!), but Sir Paitrick may hear o'
me, when Sir Paitrick has need o' me, there." He handed a dirty
little card to Blanche containing the name and address of a butcher in
Edinburgh. "Sawmuel Bishopriggs," he went on, glibly. "Care o' Davie
Dow, flesher; Cowgate; Embro. My Patmos in the weelderness, miss, for
the time being."

Blanche received the address with a sense of unspeakable relief. If
she had once more ventured on taking Sir Patrick's place, and once
more failed in justifying her rashness by the results, she had at
least gained some atoning advantage, this time, by opening a means of
communication between her uncle and Bishopriggs. "You will hear from Sir
Patrick," she said, and nodded kindly, and returned to her place among
the guests.

"I'll hear from Sir Paitrick, wull I?" repeated Bishopriggs when he was
left by himself. "Sir Paitrick will wark naething less than a meeracle
if he finds Sawmuel Bishopriggs at the Cowgate, Embro!"

He laughed softly over his own cleverness; and withdrew to a lonely
place in the plantation, in which he could consult the stolen
correspondence without fear of being observed by any living creature.
Once more the truth had tried to struggle into light, before the day of
the marriage, and once more Blanche had innocently helped the darkness
to keep it from view.

CHAPTER THE THIRTY-THIRD.

SEEDS OF THE FUTURE (THIRD SOWING).

AFTER a new and attentive reading of Anne's letter to Geoffrey, and of
Geoffrey's letter to Anne, Bishopriggs laid down comfortably under a
tree, and set himself the task of seeing his position plainly as it was
at that moment.

The profitable disposal of the correspondence to Blanche was no longer
among the possibilities involved in the case. As for treating with Sir
Patrick, Bishopriggs determined to keep equally dear of the Cowgate,
Edinburgh, and of Mrs. Inchbare's inn, so long as there was the faintest
chance of his pushing his own interests in any oth