“Yer message of apology!” repeated Major Guthrie. “Ha, ha! Unfortunately ye didna apologise for the richt offence! Ye suld hae apologised for stealing a march on me ahint ma back. ’Twas a pawky notion, yon, was it no’, Captain Foster?”
“I must repeat that I am completely in the dark as to your meaning, Major Guthrie!” said Keith in growing irritation.
“Isna he the innocent man! But I forgie ye, Major—since ye gained naething by gangin’ back.”
“Gained!” ejaculated Keith. “What do you mean, sir? I did not go back to the shieling to gain anything. I went——”
“Aye, I ken what ye said ye gaed for,” interrupted Guthrie with a wink. “’Twas devilish canny, as I said, and deceived the rebel himsel’ for a while. All yon ride in the nicht juist tae tak’ him food and dress his wounds! And when ye were there tendin’ him sae kindly ye never speired aboot Lochiel and what he kennt o’ him, and whaur the chief micht be hidin’, did ye?—Never deny it, Major, for the rebel didna when I pit it tae him!”
“You devil!” exclaimed Keith, springing up. “What did you say to him about me?”
Guthrie kept his seat, and pulled down Captain Foster, who, murmuring “Gentlemen, gentlemen!” had risen too. “Nae need tae be sae distrubel’d, Captain Foster; I’m na. That’s for them that hae uneasy consciences. What did I say tae him? Why, I tellt him the truth, Major Windham: why ye set such store on saving his life, and how ye thocht he micht be persuaded tae ‘drap a hint’ aboot Lochiel. Forbye he didna believe that at first.”
Keith caught his breath. “You told him those lies . . . to his face . . . and he believed . . .” He could get no farther.
“Lies, were they?” asked Guthrie, leaning over the table. “Ye ne’er advised me tae bring him into camp tae ‘complete ma knowledge’? Eh, I hae ye there fine! Aweel, I did ma best, Major Windham; nane can dae mair. But I doot he has the laugh of us, the callant, for he tellt me naething, either by hints or ony ither gait, a’ the time I had him in ma care. So I e’en sent him wi’ a bit report tae Fort Augustus, and there he is the noo, as ye may have heard, if ye speired news o’ him when ye came by.”
Keith had turned very white. “I might have known that you would play some dirty trick or other!” he said, and flung straight out of the room.