The Collected Works of D. K. Broster. D. K. Broster

name at Fort William—if, indeed, your commanding officer there do not find it out first.”

      This excursion into romance—a quite sudden inspiration on its author’s part—really shook Captain Jackson for a moment, since he was well aware that there were divisions, and sharp ones, among the Jacobites. Yet from Doctor Kincaid’s account Ewen Cameron himself, two days ago, had answered for ‘Mr. Sinclair’. As he stood undecided, enlightenment came to him from a most unexpected quarter.

      “Father,” suddenly said a high, clear little voice, “Father, has you finded them?”

      “What’s this?” The English officer swung round—indeed, every man in the room turned to look at the small figure which, quite unobserved, even by Alison, had strayed in through the open door. And before anyone had tried to stop him Keith had pattered forward and seized his father round the legs. “My comed down to look for mine deers,” he announced, smiling up at him. “Who is all these peoples?”

      It was the last query about identity asked that evening. Ewen saw that the game was up, and, the soldiers who held him having, perhaps unconsciously, loosed their hold at this gentle and unexpected arrival, he stooped and caught up the wrecker of his gallant scheme. “No, my wee bird, I have not found your deers . . . I have been found myself,” he whispered, and could not keep a smile from the lips which touched that velvet cheek.

      But the implications of this unlooked-for greeting had now burst upon Captain Jackson with shattering force. Half-inarticulate with rage, he strode forward and shook his fist in the prisoner’s face. “You . . . you liar! You are yourself Ewen Cameron!”

      “Pray do not terrify this child also,” observed the culprit coolly, for Keithie, after one look at the angry soldier, had hidden his face on his father’s shoulder. “He is only three years old, and not worthy of your attentions!”

      Captain Jackson fairly gibbered. “You think that you have fooled me—you and your lady there! You’ll soon find out at Fort William who is the fool! Put that child down!”

      “Please make that red gentleman go away!” petitioned a small voice from the neighbourhood of Ardroy’s neck.

      “That’s out of my power, I fear, my darling,” replied the young man. “And you had better go to Mother now.” Since, with the child in his arms, not a soldier seemed disposed to hinder him, he walked calmly across the room and put Keithie into Alison’s, whence he contemplated Captain Jackson with a severe and heavenly gaze.

      “Well, now that this charming domestic interlude is over,” snapped that officer, “perhaps, sir, you will vouchsafe some explanation of your conduct in leading my men this dance, and in striving to hide your identity in your own house in this ridiculous fashion? ‘When Mr. Cameron returns’, forsooth!”

      Again Ewen, usually a punctiliously truthful person, was inspired to a flight of imagination. “I admit that it was foolish of me,” he replied with every appearance of candour. “But I saw you and your men coming, and having been ‘out’, as you probably know, in the Forty-five, I thought it better to instruct my wife to say that I was from home, and left the house by a back window. I see now that I should have done better to show more courage, and to stay and face your visit out.”

      During this explanation Captain Jackson, his hands behind his back, was regarding the self-styled coward very fixedly. “Do you think that you can gull me into believing that you led my men that chase because of anything you did six or seven years ago, Mr. Ewen Cameron? No; you were playing the decoy—and giving the man you are hiding here a chance to get away!”

      Ardroy shrugged his shoulders. “Have it your own way, sir,” he said indifferently. “I know that a simple explanation of a natural action is seldom believed.”

      “No, only by simpletons!” retorted Captain Jackson. “However, you can try its effect upon Lieutenant-Governor Leighton at Fort William, for to Fort William you will go, Mr. Cameron, without delay. And do not imagine that I shall accompany you; I have not finished looking for your friend from Caithness, and, when you are no longer here to draw the pursuit, it may be that I shall find him.”

      It was true that Ewen had contemplated being taken to Fort William, but not exactly in his own character and upon his own account. This was a much less attractive prospect. However, there was no help for it, and the only thing that mattered was that Archie should get safely away. If only he could be certain that he had! Surely the MacMartins . . . His thoughts sped up to Slochd nan Eun.

      “Take two file of men, sergeant,” said Captain Jackson, “and set out with Mr. Cameron at once. You can reach High Bridge by nightfall, and lie there.”

      At that Alison came forward; she had put down Keithie and was holding him by the hand; he continued to regard the English officer with the same unmitigated disapproval. “Do you mean, sir, that you are sending my husband to Fort William at once—this very evening?”

      “Yes, madam. I have really no choice,” replied the soldier, who appeared to have regained control of his temper. “But if he will give me his word of honour to go peaceably, and make no attempt to escape by the way, I need not order any harsh measures for the journey. Will you do that, Mr. Cameron?”

      Ewen came back to his own situation, and to a longing to feel Keithie in his arms again for a moment. “Yes, sir, I pledge you my word as a gentleman to give no trouble on the road. Indeed, why should I?” he added. “I am innocent.”

      “But if Mr. Cameron is to go at once,” objected Alison, “pray allow me time to put together a few necessaries for him, since however short a while he stays at Fort William he will need them.”

      Instant departure was not so urgent that Captain Jackson could reasonably refuse this request. “Yes, you may do that, madam,” he replied a trifle stiffly, “provided that you are not more than a quarter of an hour about the business; otherwise the party may be benighted before they can reach High Bridge.” And he went quite civilly to hold the door for her.

      As Alison passed her husband she looked at him hard with a question in her eyes; she wanted to be sure. Again he gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head. She drew her brows together, and with a child on either side of her, the elder lagging and gazing half-frightened, half-admiringly, at his captive father, went out of the room. Captain Jackson did the same; but he left four men with muskets behind him.

      Of these Ewen took no notice, but began walking slowly up and down the room dear to him by so many memories. Now that the moment of being taken from his home was upon him he did not like it. But he would soon be back, he told himself. How heavily would he be fined by the Government for this escapade? However little, it would mean a still harder struggle to make both ends meet. But no price was too high to pay for Archie’s life—or for Keithie’s. Both of them were tangled up somehow in this payment. He wondered too, with some uneasiness, how and why the redcoats whom he had allowed to capture him had been right up by Loch na h-Iolaire when he came upon them. Dhé! that had been a chase, too—he was young enough to have enjoyed it.

      The door was opened again; there was Alison, with a little packet in her hand, and Captain Jackson behind her. “You can take leave of your wife, Mr. Cameron,” said he, motioning him to come to her at the door.

      But only, it was evident, under his eyes and in his hearing. So nothing could be said about Archie; even Gaelic was not safe, for it was quite possible that the Englishman had picked up a few words. Under the officer’s eyes, then, Ardroy took his wife in his arms and kissed her.

      “I shall not be away for long, my dear. God bless you. Kiss the boys for me.”

      To Alison Cameron it seemed incredible that he was really being taken from her with so little warning, when only a couple of hours ago he had been in her room asking about Keithie’s lost toys. And, for all either of them yet knew, he might be sacrificing himself in vain. But she looked up into his eyes and said with meaning, “I will try to do all you wish while you are away,” a wifely utterance to which Captain Jackson could hardly take exception.

      And