his
majors had to take him in hand to prevent him speaking out in front of
the men. He would have liked to throttle, not only Mr. Chief Supervisor
Pirlock, but every Preventive officer in the district.

Decidedly there was something to be said for Colonel Laurence. Yet why
did he remain? As Louis had hinted, he had more than once exchanged when
his regiments had been ordered abroad to the wars, in order to continue
in the district. His long experience in the work was urged as a reason.
But really the Colonel was hot on the track of his pension. He could not
now expect any further promotion, and he knew nothing better to do than
just to continue where he was, month after month, till the slow
revolution of the years should bring him an income and repose.

If, however, he could lay his hand upon Stair and have him hanged in the
teeth of all the lairds in Galloway, that would surely count for
something with the Regent, and especially with the Boards of Revenue and
Recruitment, which were naturally very sore upon the subject of the
aforesaid Stair Garland.

CHAPTER XL

"WHY DO THEY LOVE YOU?"

With the coming of Eben the Spy to Isle Rathan a new life began there.
At first Patsy was filled with indignation at the trust Stair placed in
him. She knew that he had been with Uncle Julian and Stair in the Bothy
of Blairmore. She had heard the tale of the test--the test of life or
death. But somehow, because she had not seen it--because she had not
been with the ex-spy day after day, she could not believe in the reality
of his repentance. His deep-rooted admiration for Stair remained in her
eyes peculiarly suspect. He seemed to be presuming too much. If she, to
whom Stair belonged by right of purchase at so great a price, did not
manifest her feelings--what right had he? Of course he had a purpose to
serve, and that purpose was to betray them. How else should he have
guessed about the island, and why should he come swimming out and
interrupting their picnic like that?

Still there was a pleasant side to the matter. The cows were milked, the
meals prepared. Fresh water was brought to every chamber by this man who
never showed his face outside the house during the day. Patsy and Stair
had nothing to do but to stray from one safe cove to another on the
seaward side all through these long days, and so, resentment falling
away, by and by Patsy fell into talk with Eben. He called her "madame,"
and rarely concluded a sentenc