Duncan with a grim twinkle in his
eye--"there iss more than one that would hef a joke with him if he was
to tell stories about Mr. Mackenzie."

Lavender had been standing listening, unknown to both. He now went
forward and bade them good-morning, and then, having had a look at the
trout that Duncan had caught, pulled Ingram up from the bank, put his
arm in his and walked away with him.

"Ingram," he said suddenly, with a laugh and a shrug, "you know I always
come to you when I'm in a fix."

"I suppose you do," said the other, "and you are always welcome to
whatever help I can give you. But sometimes it seems to me you rush into
fixes, with the sort of notion that I am responsible for getting you
out."

"I can assure you nothing of the kind is the case. I could not be so
ungrateful. However, in the mean time--that is--the fact is, I asked
Sheila last night if she would marry me."

"The devil you did!"

Ingram dropped his companion's arm and stood looking at him.

"Well, I knew you would be angry," said the younger man in a tone of
apology. "And I know I have been too precipitate, but I thought of the
short time we should be remaining here, and of the difficulty of getting
an explanation made at another time; and it was really only to give her
a hint as to my own feelings that I spoke. I could not bear to wait any
longer."

"Never mind about yourself," said Ingram somewhat curtly: "what did
Sheila say?"

"Well, nothing definite. What could you expect a girl to say after so
short an acquaintance? But this I can tell you, that the proposal is not
altogether distasteful to her, and that I have her permission to speak
of it at some future time, when we have known each other longer."

"You have?"

"Yes."

"You are quite sure?"

"Certain."

"There is no mistake about her silence, for example, that might have led
you into misinterpreting her wishes altogether?"

"Nothing of the kind is possible. Of course I could not ask the girl for
any promise, or anything of that sort. All I asked was, whether she
would allow me at some future time to ask her more definitely; and I am
so well satisfied with the reply that I am convinced I shall marry her."

"And is this the fix you wish me to help you out of?" said Ingram rather
coldly.

"Now, Ingram," said the younger man in penitential tones, "don't cut up
rough about it. You know what I mean. Perhaps I have been hasty and
inconsiderate about it; but of one thing you