ed me up the wide pend close and round the back of old Stonefield's
dwelling, and into a corner of a lane that gave upon the fields, yet at
the same time kept a plain view of the door of Askaig's house, where we
guessed MacLachlan was now on his visit to the Provost's family.

"Let us stand here," said he, "and I'll swear I'm not very well
acquainted with our friend's habits if he's not passing this way to
Carlunnan sometime in the next ten minutes, for I saw Mistress Betty
going up there, as I said, not so very long ago."

This hint at MacLachlan's persistency exasperated me the more. I felt
that to have him by the throat would be a joy second only to one other
in the world.

M'Iver saw my passion--it was ill to miss seeing it--and seemed struck
for the first time by the import of what we were engaged upon.

"We were not given to consider the end of a duello from the opening
when abroad," he said; "but that was because we were abroad, and had no
remonstrance and reminder in the face of familiar fields and houses and
trees, and the passing footsteps of our own people. Here, however, the
end's to be considered from the beginning--have you weighed the risks in
your mind?"

"I've weighed nothing," said I, shortly, "except that I feel in me here
I shall have his blood before nightfall."

"He's a fairly good hand with his weapon, they tell me."

"If he was a wizard, with the sword of Great Donald, I would touch
him to the vitals. Have I not learned a little, if you'll give me the
credit, from Alasdair Mor?"

"I forgot that," said M'lver; "you'll come through it all right And
here's our man coming up the lane. No anger now; nothing to be said on
your side till I give you a sign, and then I can leave the rest to your
wisdom."

MacLachlan came staving up the cobbles in a great hurry, flailing
the air, as he went, with a short rattan, for he affected some of the
foppish customs the old officers brought back from the Continent. He was
for passing us with no more than a jerk of the head, but M'Iver and I
between us took up the mouth of the lane, and as John seemed to smile on
him like one with gossip to exchange, he was bound to stop.

"Always on the going foot, MacLachlan," said John, airily. "I never see
a young gentleman of your age and mettle but I wish he could see the
wisdom of putting both to the best purpose on the field."

"With your cursed foreigners, I suppose you mean," said the young
fellow. "I could scar