roud they were of his little speech.

Robert heard and saw all their pleased enjoyment but was vaguely
troubled in his heart, wondering how Smillie would have taken it, and
this pained him more than the pleasant things the other delegates said
to him.

"Man, Sinclair," said the one who had sat next to Robert in the
Conference, when they got out on to the street, "you've fairly upset the
hale jing bang o' them the day. Lod! But I was like a balloon in a high
wind, fair carried away wi' you. I never thocht you could have done
that. I was in the opinion that Smillie was the only yin that could
stand up to that set o' rogues. It was great. It was that."

Robert laughed uneasily and bashfully as he answered, "I couldn't help
it, Davie," then adding as an afterthought, "Maybe I hae put my fit in
it. I wonder how Smillie took it a'."

"Ach, well, it disna matter a damn, onyway. You did fine, an' I canna
see how Smillie has onything ado wi' it. However, we hae a hale day to
oorsel's now, what dae you say to gaun to the length of Kew Gardens?
It's a gran' place, an' I hae a sister oot there in service."

"Oh, I don't mind. I don't know onything aboot London and as you are
nae stranger, I might as well gang wi' you, as bother onybody else to
show me roun'."

"There's some of thae chaps'll fairly enjoy this," said Davie, nodding
in the direction of some of the delegates. "That's the way they agreed
to adjourn sae already. They jist leeve for the conferences. It's the
time they like. They booze and get their horns oot for a day or two, an'
I can tell you, Rab, it's maybe jist as well that they dinna bring their
weemin folks wi' them. However, it tak's a' kinds of folk to mak' a
world, I suppose, so let's off, and see as muckle o' London as
possible," and they set off and were soon swallowed up in the great
Metropolis.

CHAPTER XXI

THE MEETING WITH MYSIE

When the London Conference ended, the delegates hurried back to put the
terms of the suggested agreement before the men, and as they journeyed
the whole topic of conversation was of the Conference, and of the terms
which had been suggested as a basis for settlement of the dispute.

"Well, you can a' say what you like," put in Davie Donaldson, who had
sat beside Robert in the Conference, "but in my opinion we hae been
diddled again. The wee showman wi' the ferret een was too mony for us,
an' he jist twisted us round his wee finger as he liked."

"Ach, but you