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"What is it about ye, Sassenach, I wonder?" he said conversationally, eyes still fixed on Myers

"What is what about ave me a narrow eye

"What it is that makes every man ye meet want to take off his breeks within five htly, and Ian went pink I looked as demure as possible

"Well, if you don’t know, my dear," I said, "no one does I seem to have found us a boat And what have you been up to this ?"

Industrious as always, Jaem-buyer And not only a buyer, but an invitation to dinner with the Governor

"Governor Tryon’s in the town just now," he explained "Staying at the house of a Mr Lillington I talked thiswi’ a merchant named Mac-Eachern, who put me on to a man named MacLeod, who--"

"Who introduced you to MacNeil, who took you to drink with MacGregor, who told you all about his nephew Bethune, who’s the second cousin half reested, familiar by this tis

Put two Highland Scots in a rooether, and within ten minutes they would know each other’s family histories for the last two hundred years, and have discovered a helpful nurinned

"It was the Governor’s wife’s secretary," he corrected, "and his naie’s eldest boy frorated after the Rising" Ian nodded casually, doubtless docketing the inforenetic encyclopedia, stored against the day it would prove useful

Edwin Murray, the Governor’s wife’s secretary, had welcoe--and had obtained an invitation for us to dine at Lillington’s that night, there ostensibly to acquaint the Governor withto acquaint ourselves with Baron Penzler--a well-to-do Ger there as well The Baron was a man not only of wealth but of taste, with a reputation as a collector of fine objects

"Well, it sounds a good idea," I said dubiously "But I think you’d better go alone I can’t be dining with governors looking like this"

"Ah, ye look f--" His voice faded as he actually looked at led goild hair and ragged bonnet

He frowned at me "No, I want ye there, Sassenach; Iof distraction, how le an invitation to dinner?" I asked,finances Ja me toward the row of shops

"Six, but he paid half Co, Sassenach; dinner’s at seven, and wedecent to wear"

"But we can’t afford--"

"It’s an investment," he said firainst the sale of a stone"

The goo years out of fashion by the cosmopolitan standards of Ja so far as I was concerned

"You’re dripping, madame" The see, she was the preeathered--accusto her fashion dictates obeyed without question My rejection of a frilled cap in favor of freshly washed hair had been received with bad grace and predictions of pleurisy, and the pins she held in her mouth bristled like porcupine quills at ht boning, scalloped at the top to lift the brsts without pinching the wet lock inside the linen towel that wrapped reat house being fully occupied by the Governor’s party, I had been relegated to Cousin Edwin’s tiny attic over the stable block, and the fitting ofaccos froroo as he mucked out the stalls

Still, I was not inclined to coton’s stables were a deal cleaner than the inn where Jaton had very graciously seen e basin of hot water and a ball of lavender-scented soap--a consideration more important even than the fresh dress I hoped never to see another peach

I rose slightly onto see out of thein case Jarunt of protest fro to adjust the heown itself was not at all bad; it was of cream silk, half-sleeved and very simple, but with panniers of wine-striped silk over the hips, and a ruching of claret-colored silk piping that ran in ts from waist to bosom With the Brussels lace I had purchased sewn around the sleeves, I thought it would do, even if the cloth was not quite of the first quality

I had at first been surprised at the price, which was remarkably low, but now observed that the fabric of the dress was coarser than usual, with occasional slubs of thickened thread that caught the light in shireat judge of silk, but a Chinese acquaintance had spentto me the lore of silkworms, and the subtle variation of their output

"Where does this silk come from?" I asked "It isn’t China silk; is it French?"

The sempstress looked up, her crossness temporarily relieved by interest

"No, indeed it’s not That’s made in South Carolina, that is There’s a lady, Mrs Pinckney by naone and put half her land tosilkworms on ’em The cloth’s ed reluctantly, "but ’tisn’t but half the cost, either"