Page 39 (1/2)

Roger uttered a pleased grunt, evidently thinking this a proht," he said, with approval Blood will out, I thought; Oxford-educated or not, there was little doubt that Roger was a Scot There was a violent upheavel under his arlanced down

"Oh, did ye drop your bawbee? Where’s it gone, then?" He hoicked Jemmy up onto his shoulder like a bundle of laundry and squatted down, poking at the ground in search of the watch chain, which Jemmy had evidently hurled into the darkness

"Blackmail? I think that’s a trifle far-fetched," I objected, rubbing a hand under ht suspect that Farquard Campbell, for instance, had committed some dreadful crime, and if they knew about it for sure, they could hold hi? If you find a pin down there, Roger, it’s lishmen, are they not?" Jah "Deviousness and double-dealing come naturally to that race, no, Sassenach?"

"Oh, rubbish," I said tolerantly "Pot calling the kettle black isn’t in it Besides, they didn’t try to overhear your confession"

"I havena got anything to be blackh it was perfectly obvious that he was only arguing for the fun of it

"Even so," I began, but was interrupted by Je hier grunted, pinched soers, and stood up

"Found your pin," he said "No sign of the chain, though"

"Soracket "Perhaps you’d better let er surrendered his burden with a distinct air of relief--explained when I got a whiff of Je this as a personal reproach, he shut his eyes and started to howl like an air-raid siren

"Where is Bree?" I asked, trying sily and to keep him at a sanitary distance "Ouch!" He seerow a nu

"Oh, she’s just gone to run a wee errand," Roger said, with an air of vagueness that ht him in profile, and I saw the thick red brows dran in suspicion Fire gleae of his nose as he lifted it, questioning Obviously, he smelled a rat He turned toward me, one eyebrow lifted Was I in on it?

"I haven’t any idea," I assured hi across to McAllister’s fire to borrow a clean clout I’ll see you at our carasp on the baby and shuffled into the bushes, heading for the nearest caiana McAllister had newborn twins--I’d delivered them four days before--and was happy to provide me with both a clean diaper and a private bush behind which to effect my personal repairs These accomplished, I chatted with her and ad about the recent revelations Between Lieutenant Hayes and his proclamation, the machinations of Lillywhite and coer were up to, the ht

I was pleased that we had --in fact, I was surprised to find just how gratified I did feel about it--but I had to ad She hadn’t said er had been looking forward very ht winked briefly, accusingly, off the gold ring on my left hand, and I mentally threw up my hands in Frank’s direction

And just what do you expect reeing with Georgiana’s opinion on the treatirls, who had volunteered to change Je, sliaud in the wean’s cloot; is it rief!" I was shocked by the watch chain’s reappearance, but a moment’s rationality corrected my first alar It would take several hours for a solid object to estive tract; evidently he had own and it had come to rest in his diaper

"Gie it here, lass" Mr McAllister, catching sight of the watch chain, reached out and took it with a slight grie handkerchief from the waist of his breeks and wiped the object carefully, bringing to light the glea sorier a proper bollocking about what he let Jeoodness it hadn’t coiana leaned forward, peering over the heads of the twins she was nursing

"Is it?" Her husband squinted at the object, and fumbled in his shirt for his spectacles

"Aye, I’m sure it is! I sahen he preached Sunday The first ofto me, "and I had to coo, and ht he’d outstayed his welcome, for he pulled the watch frolint fro on the chain"

"That’s called a seal, a nighean," her husband infor now settled a pair of half- the little h, it’s Mr Caldwell’s, for see?" A horny finger traced the outline of the figure on the seal: aon top of a fish with a ring in its ow, that is Mr Caldwell’s a scholar," he told me, blue eyes ith awe "Been to learn the preachin’, and a fine job he ie," he added, turning to his wife "He went sae red in the face, talkin’ of the Abomination of Desolation and the wrath at world’s end, that I thought surely he’d have an apoplexy, and then what should we do? For he wouldna have Murray MacLeod to him, Murray bein’ in the way of a heretic to Mr Caldwell--he’s New Light, Murray"--Mr McAllister explained in an aside to me--"and Mrs Fraser here a Papist, as well as bein’ otherwise engaged wi’ you and the bairns"

He leaned over and patted one of the twins gently on its bonneted head, but it paid no attention, blissfully absorbed in its suckling