ernie until the latter must mount his horse and ride
home. Only for a moment did Alexander and Mrs. Alison have speech
together.

"When will you be seeing Elspeth?"

"I hope this afternoon."

"May joy come to you, Alexander!"

"I want it to come. I want it to come."

He and Black Alan journeyed home. As he rode he thought now and again
of Ian, perhaps in Edinburgh according to his word of mouth, but
perhaps, despite that word, on board some ship that should place him
in the Low Countries, from which he might travel into France and to
Paris and that group of Jacobites humming like a byke of bees around a
prince, the heir of all the Stewarts. He thought with old affection
and old concern. Whatever Ian did--intrigued with Jacobite interest or
held aloof like a sensible man--yet was he Ian with the old appeal.
_Take me or leave me--me and my dusky gold!_ Alexander drew a deep
breath, shook his shoulders, raised his head. "Let my friend be as he
is!"

He ceased to think of Ian and turned to the oncoming afternoon--the
afternoon rainbow-hued, coming on to the sound of music.

Again in his own house, he and Strickland worked an hour or more upon
estate business. That over and dinner past, he went to the room in the
keep. When the hour struck three he passed out of the opening in the
old wall, clambered down the bank, and, going through the wood, took
his way to White Farm.

Just one foreground wish in his mind was granted. There was an orchard
strip by White Farm, and here, beneath a red-apple tree, he found
Elspeth alone. She was perfectly direct with him.

"Willy told us that you were home. I thought you might come now to
White Farm. I was watching. I wanted to speak to you where none was
by. Let us cross the burn and walk in the fields."

The fields were reaped, lay in tawny stubble. The path ran by this and
by a lichened stone wall. Overhead, swallows were skimming. Heath and
bracken, rolled the colored hills. The air swam cool and golden, with
a smell of the harvest earth.

"Elspeth, I stayed away years and years and years, and I stayed away
not one hour!"

She stopped; she stood with her back to the wall. The farm-house had
sunk from sight, the sun was westering, the fields lay dim gold and
solitary. She had over her head a silken scarf, the ends of which she
drew together and held with one brown, slender hand against her
breast. She wore a dark gown; he saw her bosom rise and fall.

"I watched for you