to the sense."

"The only thing to justify that suggestion," said Donal, "would be that
you had married Eppy, or were about to marry her!"

Eppy would have spoken; but she only gave a little cry, for Forgue put
his hand over her mouth.

"You hold your tongue!" he said; "you will only complicate matters!"

"And there's another point, my lord," resumed Donal: "you say I have
nothing to do now with the affair: if not for my friend's sake, I have
for my own."

"What do you mean?"

"That I am in the house a paid servant, and must not allow anything
mischievous to go on in it without acquainting my master."

"You acknowledge, Mr. Grant, that you are neither more nor less than a
paid servant, but you mistake your duty as such: I shall be happy to
explain it to you.--You have nothing whatever to do with what goes on
in the house; you have but to mind your work. I told you before, you
are my brother's tutor, not mine! To interfere with what I do, is
nothing less than a piece of damned impertinence!"

"That impertinence, however, I intend to be guilty of the moment I can
get audience of your father."

"You will not, if I give you such explanation as satisfies you I have
done the girl no harm, and mean honestly by her!" said Forgue in a
confident, yet somewhat conciliatory tone.

"In any case," returned Donal, "you having once promised, and then
broken your promise, I shall without fail tell your father all I know."

"And ruin her, and perhaps me too, for life?"

"The truth will ruin only those that ought to be ruined!" said Donal.

Forgue sprang upon him, and struck him a heavy blow between the eyes.
He had been having lessons in boxing while in Edinburgh, and had
confidence in himself. It was a well-planted blow, and Donal unprepared
for it. He staggered against the wall, and for a moment could neither
see nor think: all he knew was that there was something or other he had
to attend to. His lordship, excusing himself perhaps on the ground of
necessity, there being a girl in the case, would have struck him again;
but Andrew threw himself between, and received the blow for him.

As Donal came to himself, he heard a groan from the ground, and
looking, saw Andrew at his feet, and understood.

"Dear old man!" he said; "he dared to strike you!"

"He didna mean 't," returned Andrew feebly. "Are ye winnin' ower 't,
sir? He gae ye a terrible ane! Ye micht hae h'ard it across the street!"

"I shall be all right in a m