ready for her evening's inquest and she found
her grandfather waiting for her. He had put on a light vest and a
white tie, and he had that clean, healthy, good-tempered look that
pleases all women. He smiled and bowed to Sunna and she deserved the
compliment; for she was beautiful and had dressed her beauty most
becomingly. Her gown was of Saxony cloth, the exact colour of her
hair, with a collar, stomacher and high cuffs of pale green velvet.
The collar was tied with cord and small tassels of gold braid; the
stomacher laced with gold braid over small gilt buttons, and the high
cuffs were trimmed to match. Very handsome gilt combs held up her
rippled hair, and a large red-riding-hood cloak covered her from the
crowning bow of her hair to the little French pattens that protected
her black satin slippers. She expected to make a conquest, and her
thoughts were usually the factors of success.

A little disappointment awaited her. She was usually shown into the
right-hand parlour at once, and she relied on the bit of colour
afforded by her scarlet cloak to give life to the modest shades of her
spring colours of pale fawn and tender green. But servants were
setting the dinner table in the right-hand parlour; and Conall and
Rahal and Aunt Barbara had taken themselves to Conall's little
business room where there was a bright fire burning. There, in his big
chair, Conall was next door to sleeping; and Barbara and Rahal were
talking in a sleepy, mysterious way about something that did not
appear to interest them.

At the sound of Adam Vedder's voice, Conall became wide awake; and
Barbara's face lighted up with a fresh interest. If there was nothing
else, there was a chronic quarrel between them, which Barbara was
ready to lift at a moment's notice. But Sunna was not dissatisfied.
Conall's quick look of admiration, and Rahal's and Barbara's glances
of surprise, were excellent in their way. She knew she had given them
a subject of interest sufficient to make even the hour before dinner
appear short.

"Where is Thora?" she asked, as she turned every way, apparently to
look for Thora, but really to allow her admirers to convince
themselves that her dress was trimmed as handsomely at the back as the
front--that if the stomacher was perfect in front, the sash of green
velvet at the back was quite as stylish and elaborate.

"Where _is_ Thora?" she asked again.

"In the drawing room thou wilt find Thora with Ian Macrae," said
Raha