ither sense nor manners. Only yesterday
I was pestered by a fellow who annoyed me, seriously annoyed me,
interfering in affairs which he knew nothing of,--actually the affairs
of the Bank!--prating about his family name, and all the rest of it.
Family name!" Here, it must be confessed, Sir Archibald distinctly
snorted, quite in a manner calculated to excite the envy of any of his
Wiltshires.

"I know, Uncle. He is a fool, a conceited fool, and a selfish fool."

"You know him?" inquired her uncle in a tone of surprise.

"No, I have no personal acquaintance with him, I'm glad to say, but I
know about him, and I know that he came with Mr. Rae, the Writer."

"Ah, yes! Thoroughly respectable man, Mr. Rae."

"Yes, Mr. Rae is all right; but Captain Cameron--oh, I can't bear him!
He came to talk to you about his son, and I venture to say he took most
of the time in talking about himself."

"Exactly so! But how--?"

"And, Uncle, I want to talk to you about that matter, about young
Cameron." For just a moment Miss Brodie's courage faltered as she
observed her uncle's figure stiffen. "I want you to know the rights of
the case."

"Now, now, my dear, don't you go--ah--"

"I know, Uncle, you were going to say 'interfering,' only you remember
in time that your niece never interferes. Isn't that true, Sir?"

"Yes, yes! I suppose so; that is, certainly."

"Now I am interested in this young Cameron, and I want you to get the
right view of his case, which neither your lawyer nor your manager nor
that fool father of his can give you. I know that if you see this case
as I see it you will do--ah--exactly what is right; you always do."

Miss Brodie's voice had assumed its most reasonable and business-like
tone. Sir Archibald was impressed, and annoyed because he was impressed.

"Look here, Bessie," he said, in as impatient a tone as he ever adopted
with his niece, "you know how I hate being pestered with business
affairs out here."

"I know quite well, Uncle, and I regret it awfully, but I know, too,
that you are a man of honour, and that you stand for fair play. But that
young man is to be arrested to-day, and you know what that will mean for
a young fellow with his way to make."

Her appeal was not without its effect. Sir Archibald set himself to give
her serious attention. "Let us have it, then," he said briefly. "What
do you know of the young man?"

"This first of all: that he has a selfish, conceited prig for a father.