lothing. "You have made some strange mistake. These friends could
not have harmed our father. They were not armed. And what could our
uncle Roderic gain by such treachery?"

Kenric drew his brother out into one of the dark passages, not observing
that their mother's chamber door had opened and that the Lady Adela,
roused from her slumber by Alpin's cry of grief, had taken the alarm and
was preparing to follow.

"Alas, he has but too much to gain," said Kenric. "Had he been left to
carry out his base plot to the end, you and I, Alpin, must surely have
fallen as our father has fallen -- victims to Earl Roderic's ambition to
make himself lord over Bute."

"If this be so," returned Alpin, raising his voice in wrath, "then with
my own hands will I take a deadly vengeance. I swear it now, Kenric --
by our holy faith I swear that if Roderic of Gigha has indeed slain our
father, then Roderic shall die by my hand!"

"Will such vengeance give back the life that has been taken?" asked
Kenric solemnly. "Will vengeance restore to our dear mother the
happiness that she now has lost? Methinks it had been wiser in you,
Alpin, to have stayed by our father's side instead of slinking off to
your bed and leaving him thus exposed to danger. Come, let us arm
ourselves and confront these evil men, that we may learn which one of
them has dealt this fatal blow."

"With what weapon, say you, was my father slain?" asked Alpin, as, being
now in the armoury, they proceeded to don their coats of chain mail.

"With the great knife wherewith he was wont to carve the venison and
meat," said Kenric, taking down a sword.

"Ah!" cried Alpin with swift recollection, "now do I perceive the reason
wherefore Earl Roderic took that same knife from off the board and
placed it so cunningly above the hearth. Oh, villain that he is! He
designed even then to do as he has done.

"Now," he added, snatching up a great two-handed sword, "I am ready. Let
me but meet him -- let me but face him for a moment, and I will slay him
like a dog."

"Think well ere you strike the blow you contemplate," said Kenric as
they ascended a side stairway that led to the upper floors of the
castle. "Remember that you are now the rightful lord over Bute, and that
you will have power to inflict due punishment upon this man without
taking a personal vengeance that would surely lead to an endless blood
feud."

"Tush! You are but a timid boy, Kenric. What priestly precepts has the