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It was a soft spring night, the air still crisp, but s ht to make a man yearn to run free upon the earth and feel the blood hu dark in his veins Tired or not, the men roused to it, alive and alert

Christie was alert; wary-eyed and watchful Here he was, called face-to-face with Fraser and five of his closest allies--what ht they intend? True, they stood in a cell with fiftyround them, and some of those would come to Christie’s aid if he called; but a man could be beaten or killed before anyone kneas threatened

Fraser had spoken not a word to start, but smiled and put out his hand to Tom Christie The other man had hesitated for a moment, suspicious--but there was no choice, after all

"Ye would have thought Mac Dubh held a bolt of lightning in his hand, the way the shock of it went through Christie" Kenny’s own hand lay open on the table between theers curled slowly closed, and Kenny shook his head, a broad grin creasing his face

"I dinna ken hoas Mac Dubh found out that Christie was a Freemason, but he knew it Ye should have seen the look on Tom’s face when he realized that Jamie Roy was one besides!

"It was Quarry did it," Kenny explained, seeing the question still on Roger’s face "He was a Master himself, see"

A Master Mason, that was, and head of a sarrison One of theirthem one man short of the required seven Quarry had considered the situation, and after some cautiously exploratory conversation on the entleman, after all, Jacobite or no

Not precisely an orthodox situation, Roger thought, but this Quarry sounded the type to adjust regulations to suit himself For that matter, so was Fraser

"So Quarry made him, and he moved from Apprentice to Fellow Craft in a month’s time, and was a Master himself a month after that--and that hen he chose to tell us of it And so we founded a new lodge that night, the seven of us--Ardser snorted in wry a it

"Aye You six--and Christie" Tom Christie the Protestant And Christie, stiff-necked but honorable, sworn to the Mason’s oaths, would have had no choice, but been obliged to accept Fraser and his Catholics as brethren

"To start with Within three h, every man in the cells was made Apprentice And there wasna so much trouble after that"

There wouldn’t have been Freeentleman, crofter, fisherman, laird; such distinctions were not taken account of in a lodge--and tolerance No discussion of politics or religion a the brothers, that was the rule

"I can’t think it did Jaer said

"Oh," said Kenny, rather vaguely "No, I dinna suppose it did" He pushed back his stool and made to rise; the story was done; the dark had coht a candle He made no move toward the clay candlestick that stood on the hearth, but Roger glanced toward the glow of the banked fire, and noticed for the first ti food

"It’s ti hihtened noticeably

"I will, then, a Soats, and I’ll be right along"

WHEN I CAME BACK upstairs nextomelettes made with minced buffalo h not noticeably bright-eyed

"How are you this ht hier blazing; the fever was nearly gone

"I wish I were deid, if only so folk would stop asking how aru health, and took ?"

He raised one eyebrow, glowering

"Have you?"

"You know, you are perfectly i to peer into the crudely glazed pot for

"Does it not occur to ye, Sassenach, that perhaps it’s yourself that’s iusting substance s, you’re pokin’intimate inquiries into the state of my bowels Ahh!"

I had in fact pulled down the sheet and prodded him in the lower abdomen No distention from a swollen bladder; his exclamation appeared to be due entirely to ticklishness I quickly palpated the liver, but found no hardness--that was a relief

"Have you a pain in your back?"

"I’ve aone eye athis ar worse by theto determine whether the snake veno to overlook this last remark "If you can’t piss--"

"I can do that fine," he assuredthe sheet up to his chest, lest I demand proof "Now, just leave me to my breakfast, and I’ll--"

"How do you know? You haven’t--"

"I have" Seeing lowered under his brows, andround to the open , shutters open and sash raised in spite of the chillyair

"You did what?"

"Well," he defended hiht I would, that’s all"