cely go as a private pikeman like yourself."

"I daresay not, I daresay not," answered M'Iver, pricked at his heart (I
could tell by his eye) by this reflection upon his humble office, but
keeping a marvellously cool front to his cockerel. "And now when I think
of it, I am afraid you have neither the height nor width for even so
ornamental a post as an ensign's."

MacLachlan restrained himself too, unwilling, no doubt, as I thought,
to postpone his chase of the lady by so much time as a wrangle with
John M'Iver would take up. He affected to laugh at Splendid's rejoinder,
turned the conversation upon the disjasket condition of the town, and
edged round to get as polite a passage as possible between us, without
betraying any haste to sever himself from our company. But both John
Splendid and I had our knees pretty close together, and the very topic
he started seemed to be the short cut to the quarrel we sought.

"A poor town indeed," admitted M'Iver, readily, "but it might be worse.
It can be built anew. There's nothing in nature, from a pigsty to a name
for valour and honour, that a wise man may not patch up somehow."

MacLachlan's retort to this opening was on the tip of his tongue; but
his haste made him surrender a taunt as likely to cause trouble. "You're
very much in the proverb way to-day," was all he said. "I'm sure I wish
I saw Inneraora as hale and complete as ever it was: it never had a more
honest friend than myself."

"That one has missed," thought I, standing by in a silent part of this
three-cornered convention. M'Iver smiled mildly, half, I should
think, at the manner in which his thrust had been foiled, half to
keep MacLachlan still with us. His next attack was more adroit though
roundabout, and it effected its purpose.

"I see you are on your way up to the camp," said he, with an appearance
of indifference. "We were just thinking of a daunder there ourselves."

"No," said MacLachlan, shortly; "I'm for farther up the Glen."

"Then at least we'll have your company part of the way," said John, and
the three of us walked slowly off, the young gentleman with no great
warmth at the idea, which was likely to spoil his excursion to some
degree. M'Iver took the place between us, and in the rear, twenty paces,
came the _gille cas-fleuch_.

"I have been bargaining for a horse up here," said John in a while,
"and I'm anxious that Elrigmore should see it. You'll have heard I'm off
again on the old road."