se I get let in
just once, why--"

Angus paused as if to consider how to finish his sentence, and Mr Keith
answered one point of his long speech, letting all the rest, go.

"Is it just this once, Angus?"

"I suppose you mean that night at York, when I got let in with those
fellows of Greensmith's," growled Angus, more grumpily than ever. "Now,
Duncan, that's not generous of you. I did the humble and penitent for
that, and you should not cast it up to me. Just that time and this!"

"And no more, Angus?"

Angus muttered something which did not reach me.

"Angus, you know why I came with you?"

"Yes, I know well enough why you came with me," said Angus, bitterly.
"Just because that stupid old meddler, Helen Raeburn, took it into her
wooden head that I could not take care of myself, and talked my father
into sending me with you now, instead of letting me go the other way
round by myself! Could not take care of myself, forsooth!"

"Have you done it?"

"I hadn't it to do. Mr Duncan Keith was to take care of me, just as if
I had been a baby--stuff! There is no end to the folly of old women!"

"I think young men might sometimes match them. Well, Angus, I have
taken as much care as you let me. But you deceived me, boy. I know
more about it than you think. It was not one or two transgressions that
let you down to this pitch. I know you had a private key from Rob
Greensmith, and let yourself in and out when I believed you asleep."

Angus sputtered out some angry words, which I did not catch.

"No. You are mistaken. Leigh did not tell of you or his brother. Your
friend Robert told me himself. He wanted to get out of the scrape, and
he did not care about leaving you in it. The friendship of the wicked
is not worth much, Angus. But if I had not known it, I should still
have felt perfectly sure that there had been more going on than you ever
confessed to me. Three months since, Angus, you would not have used
words which you have used this day. You would not have spoken so
lightly of being `let in'--let into what? Just stop and think. And
twice to-day--once in Flora's presence--you have only just stopped your
tongue from a worse word than that. Would you have said such a thing to
your father before we left Abbotscliff?"

"Uncle Courtenay was as drunk as any of them last night," Angus blurted
out.

I did not like to hear that of Father. Till now I never thought much
about such things, except that