her he would be
well and happy now, whereas everything was dreadful and wretched. It was
quite certain it could never come right. If only she had known
beforehand? It seemed so easy and so nice. Was it her fault that things
had turned out so different? Was she to blame for not knowing?

In this way she tried to find some excuse and consolation where there
was indeed little enough, falling back on the idle excuses people so
frequently make. How many people ask "Was it my fault that I did not
know?" when that was not at all where the fault lay.

At last the court was reached. Elsie was taken into a small room, where
she had to wait some time, and had plenty of time for reflection. She
grew very nervous and frightened, and began to wonder whether they had
sent for her to punish her, whether the white-haired gentleman thought
she had told stories, and was going to send her to prison. Yet the
officer had seemed kind, and they had promised her that by-and-by she
should be allowed to go home. Could she have told a story without
knowing it? She tried to think over all she had said. Suddenly it came
into her head that perhaps this clever, wise gentleman knew that her
name was not MacDougall, but Grosvenor, and would punish her for that.
What ought she to have said? She puzzled and puzzled over it till she
grew quite stupid and bewildered.

By-and-by the officer who had brought her took her hand and led her
forward. As she entered the great room in which she had been once
before, she noticed that it was thronged with people. She was presently
placed in a small, square, box-like place, reminding her a little of the
pews in the kirk. Before her she soon detected the old gentleman who had
questioned her, but there were several others seated near him. Turning
her head slightly, her eyes fell with fright and dismay on the figures
of the "fairy mother" and a man, who was neither Uncle William nor
Grandpapa Donaldson, yet reminded her of both.

They were looking at her, and Elsie saw something in their faces that
made her tremble. Yet she could not turn her eyes away till the "fairy
mother" dropped hers, and with a heavy sigh made a little movement, as
if to hide from herself the sight of her ungrateful child.

Then Elsie caught sight of another face: she recognised the man Andrew.
There were others whose faces she did not know.

The Bible was handed her, and again she had to repeat the words of the
solemn oath. Again the old gent