bride."

"It is not Miss Murray," said Hugo, carelessly; "it is her cousin, Miss
Heron."

Mrs. Shairp's eyebrows expressed astonishment and contempt, although her
lips murmured only--"That wee bit lassie!" But she made no further
objection to the plan which Hugo now suggested to her. He wanted her not
to leave Mrs. Luttrell's service (or so he said), but to take a few
weeks' holiday. She had a sister in Aberdeen--could she not pay this
sister a visit? Mrs. Luttrell should have every care during the
housekeeper's absence--two trained nurses were with her night and day;
and a Miss Corcoran, a cousin of the Luttrell family, was shortly
expected. Mr. Colquhoun had spoken to him about the necessity of
economy, and for that reason he wished to reduce the number of servants
as much as possible. He was going away to London, and there would be no
need of more than one servant in the house. In fact, the gardener and
his wife could do all that would be required.

"Me leave my mistress to the care o' John Robertson and his wife!"
ejaculated the housekeeper, indignantly.

Whereupon Hugo had to convince her that Mrs. Luttrell was perfectly safe
in the hands of the two nurses--at any rate for a week. During that
week, one or two necessary alterations could be made in the house--there
was a water-pipe and a drain that needed attention, in Hugo's
opinion--and this could be done while the house was comparatively
empty--"before Brian came home." With this formula he never failed to
calm Mrs. Shairp's wrath and allay her rising fears.

For she had fears. She did not know why Mr. Hugo seemed to want her out
of the way. She fancied that he had secret plans which he could not
carry out if the house were full of servants. She tried every possible
pretext for staying at home, but she felt herself worsted at all points
when it came to matters of argument. She did not like to appeal to Mr.
Colquhoun. For she knew, as well as everybody in the county knew, that
Mrs. Luttrell had made Hugo the heir to all she had to leave; and that
before very long he would probably be the master of Netherglen. As a
matter of fact, he was even now virtually the master, and she had gone
beyond her duty, she thought, in trying to argue with him. She did not
know what to do, and so she succumbed to his more persistent will. After
all, she had no reason to fear that anything would go wrong. She said
that she would go for a week or ten days, but not for a longer tim