"I've dared to come after all!" she said, with a little smile, which seemed to hint that she knew the risk was over now.
"I advised her vera strongly, sir, to come over with me to Stanesland," explained her escort. "The young lady has had a trying experience at Keldale, and forby the fair impossibility of her stopping on under the unfortunate circumstances, I was of the opinion that the sea air would be a fine change and the architectural features remarkably interesting. In fac', sir, I practically insisted that Miss Farmond had just got to come."
"Good man!" said Ned. "Come in and tell me the unfortunate circumstances." He bent over Cicely and in a lowered voice added: "Personally I call 'em fortunate--so long as they haven't been too beastly for you!"
"It's all right now!" she murmured, and as they went up the steps he found, somehow or other, her hand for an instant in his again.
"If you'll stand by your pony for a moment, Bisset, I'll send out some one to take her," he said with happy inspiration.
But Mr. Bisset was not so easily shaken off.
"She'll stand fine for a wee while," he assured his host. "You'll be the better of hearing all about it from me."
They went into the smoking room and the escort began forthwith.
"The fact is, Mr. Cromarty, that yon man Simon Rattar is a fair discredit. Miss Farmond has been telling me the haill story of her running away, and your ain vera seasonable appearance and judicious conduct, sir; which I am bound to say, Mr. Cromarty, is neither more nor less than I'd have expectit of a gentleman of your intelligence. Weel, to continue, Miss Farmond acted on your advice--which would have been my own, sir, under the circumstances--and tellt her ladyship the plain facts. Weel then----"
"And what did Lady Cromarty say to you?" demanded Ned.
"Hardly a word. She simply looked at me and said she would send for Mr. Rattar."
Not a whit rebuffed, Mr. Bisset straightway resumed his narrative.
"A perfectly proper principle if the man was capable of telling the truth. I'm no blaming her ladyship at that point, but where she departit from the proper principles of evidence----"
"This morning," said Cicely. "And--can you believe it?--he absolutely denied that he had ever advised me to go away!"