their new jerseys; the long gig, painted white, with a band of
gold, was brought along to Dare, so that it might, if the weather were
favorable, go out to bring the Fair Stranger to her Highland home. And
then the heart of her lover cried, "_O winds and seas, if only for one
day, be gentle now! so that her first thoughts of us shall be all of
peace and loveliness, and of a glad welcome, and the delight of clear
summer days!_"

CHAPTER XXXII.

HAMISH.

And now--look! The sky is as blue as the heart of a sapphire, and the
sea would be as blue too, only for the glad white of the rippling waves.
And the wind is as soft as the winnowing of a sea-gull's wing; and
green, green, are the laughing shores of Ulva. The bride is coming. All
around the coast the people are on the alert--Donald in his new finery;
Hamish half frantic with excitement; the crew of the _Umpire_ down at
the quay; and the scarlet flag fluttering from the top of the white
pole. And behold!--as the cry goes along that the steamer is in sight,
what is this strange thing? She comes clear out from the Sound of Iona;
but who has ever seen before that long line running from her stem to her
top-mast and down again to her stern?

"Oh, Keith!" Janet Macleod cried, with sudden tears starting to her
eyes, "do you know what Captain Macallum has done for you? The steamer
has got all her flags out!"

Macleod flushed red.

"Well, Janet," said he, "I wrote to Captain Macullum, and I asked him to
be so good as to pay them some little attention; but who was to know
that he would do that?"

"And a very proper thing, too," said Major Stuart, who was standing hard
by. "A very pretty compliment to strangers; and you know you have not
many visitors coming to Castle Dare."

The major spoke in a matter of fact way. Why should not the steamer show
her bunting in honor of Macleod's guests! But all the same the gallant
soldier, as he stood and watched the steamer coming along, became a
little bit excited too; and he whistled to himself, and tapped his toe
on the ground. It was a fine air he was whistling. It was all about
breast-knots!

"Into the boat with you now, lads!" Macleod called out; and first of all
to go down to the steps was Donald; and the silver and cairngorms on his
pipes were burnished so that they shone like diamonds in the sunlight;
and he wore his cap so far on one side that nobody could understand how
it did not fall off. Macleod was alone in the