ouse, in Bridge Street, Berwick, being accompanied by
Sprot, Bower, and Matthew Logan. Matthew said privately to Sprot, 'Wae's
me that ever I should see this day, that the Laird should grow a seaman!
I wot not what it means, for it is for no good, and I fear this shall be
one of the sorrowful blocks that ever the Laird made. It is true that I
have oft thought that the Laird would pass away, for he is minded to sell
all that he has, and would to God that he had never been born, what
should he do with such conditions, to go or to send to the sea? He might
have lived well enough at home. I find he has ever been _carried_'
(excited), 'and his mind has ever been set on passing out of the country
this year past,' that is since the Gowrie affair.

Now all this tale has much _vraisemblance_. The facts about Logan's
adventure with Willoughby, stopped by Willoughby's death, were easily
verifiable. Logan, at his death, owned a ship, rated at 500 marks (so we
read in his inventory), but this can hardly have been the ship of
Willoughby. He was restless, excited, selling land to supply a maritime
enterprise.

At this time Lady Restalrig was deeply distressed, she wished Logan at
the Indies, if only he would first settle Flemington on herself. 'If it
be God's will, I desire never to have a child to him,' she said. 'I have
a guess what this mystery means, woe's me for his motherless children,'
that is, children of former marriages. Later, Lady Restalrig had a
daughter, Anna, by Logan.

Matthew Logan, as usual, denied every word attributed to him by Sprot,
except regrets for his own condition. Matthew could do no less to save
his own life.

On August 9, before other witnesses, and the Rev. Messrs. Galloway, Hall,
and Hewatt, Sprot solemnly confessed to having forged the letters in
Logan's hand (then in possession of his examiners). On August 10, the
same clergymen and many Lords, and Hart, being present, Sprot came to the
point at last. Where, he was asked, after a prayer offered, at his
request, by Mr. Galloway, _was the letter of Logan to Gowrie_, _whereon_,
_as model_, _the rest were forged_? Now he had not previously mentioned,
as far as the reports go, a letter of Logan to Gowrie, as the model of
his forgeries. He had mentioned, as his model, the brief harmless letter
of Gowrie to Logan. On August 9, he had been very solemnly told that he
was to die, and that he would see the faces of the Lords of the Council
no