id Lady Lundie. "What sort of
a man was he?"

Mrs. Inchbare replied in much the same words which she had used in
answering the similar question put by Sir Patrick.

"Eh! he was ower young for the like o' _her._ A pratty man, my
leddy--betwixt tall and short; wi' bonny brown eyes and cheeks, and fine
coal-blaik hair. A nice douce-spoken lad. I hae naething to say against
him--except that he cam' late one day, and took leg-bail betimes the
next morning, and left madam behind, a load on my hands."

The answer produced precisely the same effect on Lady Lundie which it
had produced on Sir Patrick. She, also, felt that it was too vaguely
like too many young men of no uncommon humor and complexion to be
relied on. But her ladyship possessed one immense advantage over her
brother-in-law in attempting to arrive at the truth. _She_ suspected
Arnold--and it was possible, in her case, to assist Mrs. Inchbare's
memory by hints contributed from her own superior resources of
experience and observation.

"Had he any thing about him of the look and way of a sailor?" she asked.
"And did you notice, when you spoke to him, that he had a habit of
playing with a locket on his watch-chain?"

"There he is, het aff to a T!" cried Mrs. Inchbare. "Yer leddyship's weel
acquented wi' him--there's nae doot o' that."

"I thought I had seen him," said Lady Lundie. "A modest, well-behaved
young man, Mrs. Inchbare, as you say. Don't let me keep you any longer
from the poultry-yard. I am transgressing the doctor's orders in seeing
any body. We quite understand each other now, don't we? Very glad to
have seen you. Good-evening."

So she dismissed Mrs. Inchbare, when Mrs. Inchbare had served her
purpose.

Most women, in her position, would have been content with the
information which she had now obtained. But Lady Lundie--having a man
like Sir Patrick to deal with--determined to be doubly sure of her facts
before she ventured on interfering at Ham Farm. She had learned from
Mrs. Inchbare that the so-called husband of Anne Silvester had joined
her at Craig Fernie on the day when she arrived at the inn, and had left
her again the next morning. Anne had made her escape from Windygates
on the occasion of the lawn-party--that is to say, on the fourteenth of
August. On the same day Arnold Brinkworth had taken his departure for
the purpose of visiting the Scotch property left to him by his aunt. If
Mrs. Inchbare was to be depended on, he must have gone