rd came in
with whisky, and banked up the peats till they glowed beneath a pall of
blue smoke.

"I hope to goodness we are alone," said Thirlstone, and he turned to
the retreating landlord and asked the question.

"There's naebody bidin' the nicht forbye yoursels," he said, "but the
morn there's a gentleman comin'. I got a letter frae him the day.
Maister Wiston, they ca him. Maybe ye ken him?"

I started at the name, which I knew very well. Thirlstone, who knew it
better, stopped warming himself and walked to the window, where he
stood pulling his moustache and staring at the snow. When the man had
left the room, he turned to me with the face of one whose mind is made
up on a course but uncertain of the best method.

"Do you know this sort of weather looks infernally unpromising? I've
half a mind to chuck it and go back to town."

I gave him no encouragement, finding amusement in his difficulties.
"Oh, it's not so bad," I said, "and it won't last. To-morrow we may
have the day of our lives."

He was silent for a little, staring at the fire. "Anyhow," he said at
last, "we were fools to be so far up the valley. Why shouldn't we go
down to the Forest Lodge? They'll take us in, and we should be
deucedly comfortable, and the water's better."

"There's not a pool on the river to touch the stretch here," I said.
"I know, for I've fished every inch of it."

He had no reply to this, so he lit a pipe and held his peace for a
time. Then, with some embarrassment but the air of having made a
discovery, he announced that his conscience was troubling him about his
work, and he thought he ought to get back to it at once. "There are
several things I have forgotten to see to, and they're rather
important. I feel a beast behaving like this, but you won't mind, will
you?"

"My dear Thirlstone," I said, "what is the good of hedging? Why can't
you say you won't meet Wiston!"

His face cleared. "Well, that's the fact--I won't. It would be too
infernally unpleasant. You see, I was once by way of being his friend,
and he was in my regiment. I couldn't do it."

The landlord came in at the moment with a basket of peats. "How long
is Capt.--Mr. Wiston staying here?" I asked.

"He's no bidin' ony time. He's just comin' here in the middle o' the
day for his denner, and then drivin' up the water to Altbreac. He has
the fishin' there."

Thirlstone's face showed profound relief. "Thank God!" I heard him
mutter